I’ve been so busy that it’s been hard to document all the great things that have been happening at the Tubac School of Fine Art this month. Here’s a look at the beginning days at Tubac School of Fine Art.

We had our grand opening celebration on October 8th. The event was very well attended and we were so incredibly encouraged by the outpouring of support from the community and participating artists.

Fabulous food, great neighbors, and artists mingled as David Simon and Barbara Mulleneaux painted on location until dark skies forced them to stop. We also had a very special guest, Desta Marbury. Desta was involved in horrific car accident in July and we are so happy to see her finally out of the hospital and full of life

Even though a few things planned for the event were lost in the excitement, it was a tremendous and humbling evening.

I had intended to make some announcements and recognize several very important friends of the school, but it was all such a blur, that didn’t happen. There was also an art project planned and a raffle which totally slipped from my grasp during the planning stages.

I want to thank everyone who attended the celebration and those who sent such kind messages and wishes of success.

The event itself would have never come to fruition were it not for some very special people working behind the scenes.

I’d like to particularly mention:

Pam Wedemeyer,

Joan Brittain,

Doug Nail,

Murray Damitio,

Shari Shute,

Barbara Podrazik,

Gwen Griffin,

John Marbury,

Desta Marbury,

John Miller, and

Jim Petty.

These wonderful people helped more than I could have ever hoped or dreamed.

The wonderful food was coordinated and prepared by Joan Brittain, The Tubac Market, and The Goods. I heard numerous compliments and praises for the wonderful spread. Thank you so much, Joan!

The majority of the entertainment was provided by the many smiling faces of our dear Tubac community.

Kelley Rivers captured the early part of the evening’s festivities and provided us with a broader scope of Old Tubac and El Presidito with his drone and camera. Thanks, Kelley of http://droneroamers.com.

After the opening, classes began right away. The beginning days saw Spirited Painting with Pam, Life Drawing and Foundational Drawing with John Marbury, a Watercolor series with Jim Petty, oil-rub-out with Leslie Miller, and an opening workshop taught by Turner Vinson!

Turner truly gave us a new confidence in plein air painting by sharing his 15-minute painting technique. Over the weekend, we collectively painted over 80 studies. After we had discovered the beauty of the 15-minute study, he guided us in the process of how to bring that study to completion. Figuring two, 15-minute paintings a day until the PACE18 (Plein Air Convention and Exposition) held in April in Santa Fe, NM this year, artists could have 365 paintings completed and truly be ready for the exhilarating experience of painting with 1000 other plein air artists for a full week.

To top off the creativity fest, that kicked off the season, we opened the school to the community and Turner hosted a free Alla Prima Portrait demo Saturday evening. A new member of our community and fellow artist, Dorian Scottie, sat in as the model and we were all mesmerized by the masterful 2-hour rendering.

This past weekend we had the pleasure of welcoming figurative artist Nancy Boren to Tubac. Nancy’s workshop entitled Channeling your Creativity was a tremendous event with four different models, various lighting effects, backdrops, costumes, and poses. Nancy showed an impressive slideshow of both contemporary artists as well as masters of the past which inspired her work and the setups we implemented in the workshop. Her focus was on becoming an art director of your work, leading the viewer’s eye and creating dynamic compositions.

The feedback I received from the workshop attendees, as well as the models, have me extremely excited to invite Nancy back to teach us more.

November Promises to be Every Bit as Exciting!

Julia Patterson-Pastels on Suede due to a family illness will be now led by Jan Thompson