| Blue Collar 28" x 40" $24,000 |
My dad worked for the railroad all of his adult life: iron worker, dock builder, mason, carpenter and eventually up the brutal food-chain to support a family of seven. When I was eighteen, due to over-enrollment at the School of Visual Arts, I could not start until Spring Semester and Dad said he would make a call.
He arranged a meeting with the man who ran the massive Harborside Terminal in Jersey City on the Hudson. Many years before he had done side work for him laying cinder-block walls.
In short, I got a job beyond my capabilities as a maintenance man for seven long months, under the raspy hand of a brilliant engineer.
Enthusiastic but with little mechanical skill I struggled to keep-up and worked on toilets, freight elevators, thawed frozen pipes with an ancient acetylene torch and cleaned-out and demoed an old cold-storage building.
I was the only white serviceman working in the mammoth facility. Many good people I worked with felt that this was as far as they were going to go, and surviving was as good as it might get.
In a short period of time I was headed off to art school... with possibilities. I was given a great gift and a great gift of perspective.
When I drove down Watson street it all came flooding back. Life's patina has a way of clarifying reality for me.
A wonderful quote from the Velveteen Rabbit sums it up beautifully: "How do you become Real?" asked the rabbit. "It doesn't happen all at once" said the skin horse, "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real most of your hair has been loved off and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to those who don't understand."
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20th Annual St. Paul, Minnesota 3-Day Summer Plein Air Workshop
Friday, June 12th - Sunday, 14th, 2015
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This workshop is ideal for those who would like to be introduced to working with a prismatic palette from life or for those who want a refresher to start off their Summer painting.
There are a couple of slots left in this workshop don't wait to register if you would like to be a part of it.
Cost: $550
Click here for details. |
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Madeline Island, WI 5-Day Plein Air Workshop Madeline Island School of the Arts
Monday, July 6th - Friday, July 10th, 2015
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 | Brooding Sky, Madeline Island 8" x 12" $3300 |
This workshop is filling up quickly, be sure to register to secure your spot!
My first experience teaching at MISA was simply wonderful; there was plenty to paint and the accommodations and hospitality provided by the school and staff was top-notch.
I'm looking forward to returning to this lovely island again next summer, I hope you can join me. A special thanks to Charles, Jenna and the entire staff for elevating the experience.
Click here to learn more.
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Stockholm Sweden 5-Day Plein Air Workshop
Monday, July 27th - Friday, July 31st, 2015
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| Pristine Afternoon, Loring Park 24" x 30" SOLD |
Learn to see more deeply. This 5-day workshop with Farigh Ghaderi ArtStudio will introduce you to the power and subtlety of the Prismatic Palette. You will learn to capture what makes each day unique through the use of an elegant underpainting, rhythmically connected drawing, structured value scale and solid understanding of color as value. Further we will delve into how color is affected by atmosphere and the Prismatic Effect. You will never look at nature the same way.
Humility and a healthy respect for nature required.
Click here to learn more.
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New York 5-Day Plein Air Workshop Stone Barns Center, Pocantico Hills, NY
Monday, October 5th - Friday, October 9th
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I am thrilled to be teaching this workshop. The Stone Barns Center is a great location less than an hour from Manhattan offering plenty of variety and an opportunity to study fall color with the prismatic palette.
Day 1 Will begin with an in-depth lecture on the prismatic palette and be followed by an afternoon Demonstration.
Days 2-5 Students will be working in the field - plan on working on 2 paintings per day. It is my practice to get around for frequent critiques so you will get plenty of help.
All Levels Welcome (Humility Required)
More details here.
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Furrows and Fractions 24" x 30" $14,000 - SOLD |
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To purchase paintings directly from Joe Just call (651) 485-5807 or email to discuss details and options.
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Joe Paquet Painting Studio
New paintings appear regularly on joepaquet.com.
Current class information and materials are available there as well.
 If you would like your friends to receive the newsletter from Joe Paquet that includes first peek and new works; please invite them to sign-up on joepaquet.com!
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