{"id":9327,"date":"2017-08-09T10:11:58","date_gmt":"2017-08-09T14:11:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/?p=9327"},"modified":"2022-02-17T13:29:10","modified_gmt":"2022-02-17T17:29:10","slug":"collage-en-plein-air-part-three","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/archives\/9327","title":{"rendered":"Collage En Plein Air ~ third chapter"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote><p>\u201cTry to understand, not only the nature of what you\u2019re looking at, but your own perception and the judgments behind what you\u2019re looking at.\u201d<br \/>\n\u2014 Nicolas Uribe<br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Are you still as interested in this subject as I am, my dear reader? I hope so. Permit me to begin this entry with an update on my evolving \u2018Plein Air Collage Kit.\u2019 After two more productive \u201cart-outs,\u201d minor refinements are still taking place. Protective feet were added to the base, a better diversity of colored and printed papers were organized, and, since it isn\u2019t necessary to take much adhesive on location, I downsized the glue bottles for a better fit. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Dixon_PleinArtCollageKit.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Dixon_PleinArtCollageKit.jpg\" title=\"J A Dixon\u2019s \u2018Plein Air Collage Kit\u2019 based on a re-purposed dish drainer\" alt=\"Plein Air Collage Kit based on a re-purposed dish drainer ~ by J A Dixon, collage artist from Danville, Kentucky\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-9339\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Dixon_PleinArtCollageKit.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Dixon_PleinArtCollageKit-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Dixon_PleinArtCollageKit-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nThe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/1683306301889691\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">PAACK group<\/a> was welcomed to a home with lovely farmscapes in every direction. I picked a breezy spot to test my methodology and to capture one of our host\u2019s flower gardens. I liked the sloping road and cornfield in the background and a central tree at its summer peak. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/JADixonPleinAir_3byDF.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/JADixonPleinAir_3byDF.jpg\" alt=\"John Andrew Dixon ~ plein air collage artist\" title=\"The man you are looking at is creating a plein air collage miniature with a peculiar kit of his own devising (photo by D Forgacs).\" width=\"180\" height=\"240\" hspace=\"11\" vspace=\"13\" align=right size-full wp-image-9332\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/JADixonPleinAir_3byDF.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/JADixonPleinAir_3byDF-300x400.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 180px) 100vw, 180px\" \/><\/a>The composition was complex enough that I would push the limit of the 50\/50 ratio of location-to-studio labor before it was finished. I wanted to do justice to the impatiens in the foreground. Although I intend to get back to some strictly on-site studies, I decided to create a companion piece with the same ratio on my next venture into the countryside.<\/p>\n<p>In my adopted area of the southern bluegrass region of Kentucky, there are many historic farm estates. Two of my favorites are Isaac Shelby\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/parks.ky.gov\/parks\/historicsites\/issac-shelby.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Traveler\u2019s Rest<\/a>, which is partially accessible to the public, and pioneer surgeon Ephraim McDowell\u2019s summer retreat named <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kentucky.com\/living\/home-garden\/article44422269.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cambus-Kenneth Farm<\/a>, which is not. It was a rare treat for our group to be offered the opportunity to wander among the paddocks and historic structures of the serene Cambus-Kenneth on the last day of July.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not as though I haven\u2019t drawn or painted out of doors many times since youth, but the recent, more systematic approach has introduced me to aspects of the plein air discipline that are no doubt familiar to artists who have made the practice a ritual. Personally, I find that it is important to not spend too much time selecting a spot to sit, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/JADixonPleinAir_3byJR.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/JADixonPleinAir_3byJR.jpg\" alt=\"John Andrew Dixon ~ plein air collage artist\" title=\"This lucky man is creating a plein air collage miniature at historic Cambus-Kenneth (photo by J Robinson).\" width=\"180\" height=\"240\" hspace=\"11\" vspace=\"13\" align=right size-full wp-image-9340\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/JADixonPleinAir_3byJR.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/JADixonPleinAir_3byJR-300x400.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 180px) 100vw, 180px\" \/><\/a>even though the entire enterprise rests upon the decision. It seems as though the act should be part of the overall intuitive process to which the day is pledged. It was tough to avoid squandering valuable minutes at Cambus-Kenneth, since there were barns, ponds, pastures, an impressive Italianate home, and many remarkably preserved 18th- and 19th-century brick outbuildings, including an <a href=\"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Dixon_CK_IceHouse.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">icehouse<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Dixon_-CK_SpringHouse.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">springhouse<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Dixon_-CK_SlaveQuarters.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">slave quarters<\/a>. By using <a href=\"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Dixon_SquareViewCard.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a viewing card<\/a> with square \u201cwindow,\u201d I zeroed in on the old red-roofed quarters. I was able to complete enough of the design that day to stay within the 50\/50 restriction when I finished the artwork in the studio a few days later. Folks, I may just be getting the hang of this gig. Please let me know what you think of the results.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Dixon_GoA_interim.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Dixon_GoA_interim.jpg\" title=\"Intermediate stage of \u2018Garden of Alice\u2019 ~ J A Dixon\" alt=\"Intermediate stage of \u2018Garden of Alice\u2019 ~ J A Dixon\" width=\"207\" height=\"196\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-9336\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Dixon_GoA_interim.jpg 666w, https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Dixon_GoA_interim-300x285.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 207px) 100vw, 207px\" \/><\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Dixon_OQ_interim.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Dixon_OQ_interim.jpg\" title=\"Intermediate stage of \u2018Old Quarters\u2019 ~ J A Dixon\" alt=\"Intermediate stage of \u2018Old Quarters\u2019 ~ J A Dixon\" width=\"207\" height=\"196\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-9335\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Dixon_OQ_interim.jpg 666w, https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Dixon_OQ_interim-300x285.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 207px) 100vw, 207px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 82%; line-height: 133%; margin-top: 22px; margin-bottom: 33px; color: brown; padding-left: 11px;\" align=\"left\"><em>Here are the intermediate stages of two plein air miniatures, after completing<br \/>the on-location work. I start with my finding an appealing composition with a<br \/>viewing card, then roughly sketch the layout before picking a color scheme<br \/>from papers available in my kit. These artworks required studio time equal<br \/>to what I spent in the field \u2014 a total of approximately nine to ten hours each.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Dixon_GardenOfAlice.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Dixon_GardenOfAlice.jpg\" title=\"Garden of Alice ~ J A Dixon\" alt=\"Garden of Alice ~ plein air collage miniature by J A Dixon\" width=\"400\" height=\"379\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-9337\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Dixon_GardenOfAlice.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Dixon_GardenOfAlice-300x284.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 88%; line-height: 133%; margin-top: 431px; margin-bottom: 11px; color: gray; padding-left: 30px;\" align=\"left\"><strong><em>Garden of Alice<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\nplein air collage miniature by J A Dixon<br \/>\n6.625 x 6.125 inches<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 88%; line-height: 133%; margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 22px; color: #CC3333; padding-left: 30px;\" align=\"left\">\u2022&nbsp; S O L D<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Dixon_OldQuarters.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Dixon_OldQuarters.jpg\" title=\"Old Quarters ~ J A Dixon\" alt=\"Old Quarters ~ plein air collage miniature by J A Dixon ~ at Cambus-Kenneth Farm, Danville Kentucky\" width=\"400\" height=\"379\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-9368\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Dixon_OldQuarters.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Dixon_OldQuarters-300x284.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 88%; line-height: 133%; margin-top: 422px; margin-bottom: 11px; color: gray; padding-left: 30px;\" align=\"left\"><strong><em>Old Quarters<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\nplein air collage miniature by J A Dixon<br \/>\n6.625 x 6.125 inches<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 88%; line-height: 133%; margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 40px; color: #CC3333; padding-left: 30px;\" align=\"left\">\u2022&nbsp; S O L D<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cTry to understand, not only the nature of what you\u2019re looking at, but your own perception and the judgments behind what you\u2019re looking at.\u201d \u2014 Nicolas Uribe &nbsp; Are you still as interested in this subject as I am, my dear reader? I hope so. Permit me to begin this entry with an update on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,216,18,249,35],"tags":[322,90,308,316,317,313,320,318,321,319],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9327"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9327"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9327\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16040,"href":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9327\/revisions\/16040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.xorph.com\/jadixon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}