It was like a scene from Indiana Jones! Lynn and I were waiting for our first artist, Arleta Pech, to arrive at the Eugene airport. We felt as though we were stepping out on to our invisible bridge of unknown territory. Up to that point we’d prepared as best we could, taking the classes in film technology, business and marketing… basically everything we could imagine Creative Catalyst would demand of us. But here was truly the first blind step... waiting at the Eugene airport for our first artist.
Arleta was the perfect artist to join us in the great adventure. She put US immediately at ease as she shared her experience of the new security pat-down, that is now common place due to 9/11
Over the next five days, filming with three cameras, we "rolled", "cut, innovated and laughed a lot. We have the outtakes to prove it. What we learned filming, editing and producing Arleta became a template for our 90-plus future videos. Through hundreds of hours of trial and error we learned to present the expertise of each teacher in a concise, content-rich, sequential format best suited for artistic learning. We cut 50-plus hours of content to 80 minutes of video instruction.
Determined to improve on weaknesses we saw in other artist VHS tapes of the time, ( long, boring, repetitious material, what we called "watching the paint dry”) we edited down to essential teaching/learning sequences. On one day when Arleta was painting layer after layer of thin washes, we remotely turned the overhead camera on for short periods over hours to "time lapse”cutting the sequence of layering into a minute or two of final video.
We added text bars or stills for clarification, and transplanted sections of film to help make the messages clear.
It soon became clear that two additional cameras were needed; an overhead camera designated for the palette and a side view to show the moisture content and pressure the artist applied to each stroke. We focused on what the artist was doing, rather than the artist. The fun and humanity we experience was brought home with "outtakes" at the end of each production.
Our inaugural project with Arleta went well, in large part due to her patience and willingness to innovate on the fly. We will forever feel especially fortunate that she was the one to join us as the very first Creative Cat .
With all this in mind we contacted Arleta this July, 2015 and asked for an update.
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ARLETA: Life seems to fly by, but one of my most treasured memories was filming with CCP in 2001.
The Pure Color Glazing filming was a great way to share with artists how glazing in watercolor works, and to be able to share this with artists though the years is very special.
I started painting in 1973 and still life and florals are still my favorite subjects, even though I moved from watercolor into a Toxic Free Oils in 2005. This medium change lead to the release of my new book "Radiant Oils" in 2010.
What is great about learning glazing is it can work for any transparent medium, so I took what I loved about my Pure Color Glazing DVD and used the same color theory with oils, which is how the OLD masters used to work in Oils, doing thin glazes to build their values and colors.
Simply-Silver-original-by Arleta Pech
So my original stillifes have that luminious glow that I love.
Now days one of my favorite ways to learn about a painting style is with DVDS, even if I get one tip, or an AHH HA its always good to keep learning.
Silver Hydrangeas 25 x 13-by Arleta Pech
In 2006 I opened my Arleta Pech's Studio SESSIONS where an indivudual aritst can sit in my studio next to me and learn to paint in either watercolor or Oil, and you can read more about my sessions on my web sitewww.arletapech.com
Currently 2015 I'm showing with the INTERNATIONAL REALISM GUILD, and The IGOR Museum Tour traveling the country. you can read more about this group at www.realismguild.com .
A-bright-Idea-9-x-18-by Arleta Pech
I work with art galleries here in Denver, Colorado that are involved in helping the community with art shows such as Project Angle Heart, or exhibits at Childrens Hospital.
Where is my art headed in the future? I follow my creative muse when selecting objects for my still lifes that open many creative doors. My other interest is my garden, and designing jewelry for one of the galleries I show with.
1900's-Illumination-24-x-30-by Arleta Pech
So I never stop dreaming about creating.
I share with artists on https://www.facebook.com/ArletaPechsStudio and my blog at http://arleta-pech.blogspot.com
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