Crit site Tuesday June 29, 2010 5am Mettowee Community Center

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• From Pawlet (intersection of rte 30 and rte 133) take Route 30 south 3.4 miles
  or From the Dorset village green take Route 30 north 4.9 miles
• Turn into the Mettowee Valley Community Center (left from Pawlet, right from Dorset)
• Find a suitable place to paint, looking south the sunrise will be behind the farm

Crit site Friday June 25, 2010 5am Shehadi Pond

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• From Route 30 in Pawlet turn on to School Street (school st is the street in front of Mach's Market)
• follow School Street (through Pawlet village, then over a one lane bridge) for 0.25 miles
• after you cross the bridge bear left on to the Rupert Road for 0.9 miles (there will be a pond to your left and a speed limit sign to your right)
• turn left on to the trail next to the pond and park, you will see a lovely view looking back to Pawlet village
  
  This is private property. Do not paint here unless we are meeting as a class.

Crit site Tuesday June 22, 2010 1pm Beaver Brook Woods, Pawlet

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• Take Route 30 to Pawlet
• turn on to Route 133 North (to Middletown Springs)
• follow rte 133 for 1.8 miles (rte 133 bends left at 1.3 miles)
• turn left on to Andrus Drive
• take first right on to Beaver Brook Road
  my studio is 360 Beaver Brook Road (the 3rd driveway on the right, name is on the mailbox)
• drive up the road past my driveway to the end of the road
• park, walk along the mowed path into the woods and find a suitable place to paint

This is private property. Do not paint here unless we are meeting as a class.

Crit site Thursday June 17, 2010 5pm Robinson Hill Road, Pawlet

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• Take Route 30 to Pawlet
• turn on to Route 133 North (to Middletown Springs)
• follow rte 133 for 1.3 miles, instead of bearing left to stay on rte 133 continue straight on the Pawlet/Danby Road
• take first right on to Robinson Hill Road
• find a suitable place to paint on this road

Crit site Tuesday June 15, 2010 11am Dorset Quarry

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• From Pawlet (intersection of rte 30 and rte 133) take Route 30 south 9.7 miles
  or From Manchester take Route 30 north 4.6 miles
• Turn on to Kelly Road (left from Pawlet, right from Manchester)
• Park on Kelly Road and walk over to the marble quarry, find a suitable place to paint

This quarry is the locals favorite swimming spot so we will be able to paint figures in the landscape. Bring a hat, sunblock and water. You will probably need to set up in the sun and midday can be rather hot, but it will be worth it.

Crit site Thursday June 10, 2010 3pm Mettowee Community Center

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• From Pawlet (intersection of rte 30 and rte 133) take Route 30 south 3.4 miles
  or From the Dorset village green take Route 30 north 4.9 miles
• Turn into the Mettowee Valley Community Center (left from Pawlet, right from Dorset)
• find a suitable place to paint

Crit site Tuesday June 8, 2010 5pm Andrus Drive

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• Take Route 30 to Pawlet
• turn on to Route 133 North (to Middletown Springs)
• follow rte 133 for 1.8 miles (rte 133 bends left at 1.3 miles)
• turn left on to Andrus Drive
• park on the right side, off the road, and find a suitable place to paint (please don’t set up too close to the horse pasture)

Crit site June 3, 2010 5pm Beaver Brook Road

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• Take Route 30 to Pawlet
• turn on to Route 133 North (to Middletown Springs)
• follow rte 133 for 1.8 miles (rte 133 bends left at 1.3 miles)
• turn left on to Andrus Drive
• take first right on to Beaver Brook Road
• my studio is 360 Beaver Brook Road (the 3rd driveway on the right, name is on the mailbox)
• drive up the road past my driveway and find a suitable place to paint

If it is too rainy to paint outside come to my studio and we will have the first class there

About the Class

Almost a hundred years ago Frank Vincent DuMond, an instructor at the newly formed Art Students League of New York, decided his students would benefit from landscape instruction during the summer months. Every summer he and his students packed up their palettes and brushes and traveled to Old Lyme, Connecticut, where the DuMonds had a farm, to spend three months painting en plein air. In 1951 Frank Vincent DuMond died and his student Frank Mason took over the class in New York. Having benefited greatly from DuMond’s insistence on the study of landscape, Mason continued the practice of a summer landscape class while limiting its duration to the month of June and relocating the class to Stowe, Vermont near the Masons’ summer home in Peacham. In 2009 Frank Mason died and Thomas Torak, artist and former student of Mason’s, took over in Studio 7 at the Art Students League. Torak, in his turn, continues the tradition of a June landscape class. Like DuMond and Mason before him Torak has relocated the class to the area near his home and studio: the class is now held in scenic Pawlet, Vermont in the southwest corner of the state.

The June landscape class is an experience like no other. Generations of students cherish the memory of their time in the class. Living in the landscape for an entire month gives the student time to explore his or her thoughts and ideas about painting even as each day brings new observations on the effect of light and weather. Students have time to get to know one another and to form a community of artists. The tradition of Saturday night suppers strengthens those bonds by giving everyone a chance to relax and socialize at the close of each week of intensive painting.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays the class meets outdoors for plein air painting and critiques. The time of the session could be anywhere from sunrise to late afternoon, depending on the location and the weather. Students paint on location and receive critiques on their work.

On Saturdays everyone brings a painting they have done on their own to Torak’s studio. Torak gives each student a critique while discussing the principles and theories of landscape painting. At the end of the day everyone is invited to stay for supper.

A letter to the 2010 class

Welcome to everyone interested in my June 2010 Landscape Oil Painting Class.

This class takes place in and around Pawlet, VT a small agricultural community at the North end of the beautiful Mettowee Valley. An ideal place for landscape painting, Pawlet is also where Elizabeth and I make our home and have our studios. Saturday crits and Saturday night suppers will take place at our home and studio.

You will find detailed information about the class and a materials list in the post below. As always students will be responsible for their housing. Expect to find both housing and crit locations in the surrounding towns of Danby, Rupert, Dorset, and Manchester. Please contact us for a list of local realtors and the names of a few local people with rooms or houses to rent. Last year students had success finding accommodations in both the Manchester http://www.manchestervermont.net/ and Lake St. Catherine areas. Though the distances are not long (and the drives are beautiful) everyone will need a car or a friend with whom to carpool. If you have any questions please feel free to email me at thomastorak@gmail.com or Elizabeth at torak@vermontel.net or call 802-325-6428.

The tradition of Saturday night suppers will continue. You are all invited.

Information and Materials

FIRST CLASS: Thursday June 3, 2010 @ 3pm – We will start with a late afternoon painting session on the road outside my studio (Beaver Brook Road, Pawlet, VT) . Directions will be sent when you register for the class.

CLASS SCHEDULE: Three classes a week. Tuesday and Thursday we will meet outdoors for plein air painting and critiques. The time of the session could be anywhere from sunrise to late afternoon, depending on the location and the weather. I will decide a day or two before the crit so you should be prepared to keep those days free from other obligations. Saturday we will meet in my studio to discuss the principles and theories of landscape painting, each student should bring one painting.

CLASS SUPPERS: Each Saturday evening (June 5, 12, 19, 26) Elizabeth and I will host an informal class supper at our home and studio. We invite the students to bring friends and family.

LAST CLASS: Tuesday June 29, 2010

CLASS FEE: $750 for the month or any part of the month. No partial payments for one week or half of the month. A $50 nonrefundable deposit (checks only please, no credit cards) payable to Thomas Torak will reserve space in the class, enrollment is limited to 40 students. Mail to: Thomas Torak 360 Beaver Brook Road Pawlet, VT 05761 For additional information contact Elizabeth Torak: torak@vermontel.net or call 802-325-6428.

SUPPLIES: Portable field easel. Palette (a small wooden palette works well outdoors, no white or paper palettes). Gesso panels, canvas boards or stretched canvases (if you bring stretched canvases bring a piece of cardboard to put behind the canvas so that light will not pass through from the back), 9 x 12 or so is good for field crits, but if you want to do something larger for the Saturday crit please feel free to do so. A sketch pad (9 x 12 or so), pencils, charcoal or other drawing materials are very useful. Mineral spirits in a can or jar to clean your brushes. Filbert and round brushes in a variety of sizes. A few round sables are useful for details. Paper towels or rags to wipe your brushes and a small bag to keep them from blowing away. Palette cups to hold medium.

PAINTS: OIL PAINTS ONLY, no acrylic or water based oils. White (titanium-zinc or Permalba, a large tube); Winsor Newton’s best quality cadmium lemon yellow and cadmium yellow light (these are very important for making rich landscape greens); cadmium yellow medium; cadmium yellow deep; cadmium orange; cadmium red light (again Winsor Newton’s best quality); cadmium red medium; cadmium red deep; alizarin crimson; cerulean or manganese blue; cobalt blue; ultramarine blue; thalo blue; thalo green; yellow ochre; ivory or lamp black.

MEDIUM: A good general medium is: 1 part linseed oil, 1 part dammar or mastic varnish, 1 part turpentine mixed together in a jar. If you prefer to use Fels mediums, Maroger, Liquin or any other medium (except water based) please feel free to do so.

Prepare for all sorts of weather. Bring boots, warm clothing, rain poncho, sun hat and a swimsuit.