Description

Pop-Up Workshop!Plein Air Bachelors Barge Clubw/Joseph SweeneyTuesday December 9 and Wednesday December 1010:00am-2:00pm




Join Joe Sweeney for a unique opportunity to paint inside one of the oldest rowing clubs in Philadelphia the Bachelors Barge Club - #6 Boathouse Row on Kelly Drive by the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Address: 6 Boathouse Row, Philadelphia, PA 19130At # 6 boathouse Row
Time: 10 AM to 2 PM
Primarily, working in acrylic, oil, and pastel. Although instruction in watercolor will not be done watercolorist are welcome to work on their own.
The history of the Bachelors Barge Club is necessarily incomplete. Founded in 1853 the club has managed to change with the times and reigns today as the oldest continuously operated rowing club in the United States. Its early story is one of men and boats although at Bachelors today female rowers outnumber the men.
The club’s founding fathers were almost without exception members of the Phoenix Engine Company, a volunteer fire fighting organization that operated in Philadelphia prior to the city having its own fire fighting capabilities. The founders were also all bachelors however the club made the first of its many evolutions shortly thereafter and allowed married men to join. Israel W. Morris, a prominent iron merchant and philanthropist, is the recognized founder of the Bachelors Barge Club and was subsequently elected as its second president. Club records show William F. Griffitts Jr. as the first elected president with club meetings at that time held at Mr. Morris’ home on Walnut Street.
Rowing was one of the sports of choice among gentlemen in the decade before the Civil War. This was particularly true in Philadelphia as rowing clubs started to form along the picturesque banks of the Schuykill River. The earliest members of these clubs were often men of wealth and the Bachelors Barge Club was no exception. Recognizable names from Bachelors 19th century membership rolls include Charles F. Berwind (coal), William Weightman (chemicals), Maxwell Wyeth (pharmaceuticals), Charles E. Mather (insurance), W. Atlee Burbee (seeds and plants), Clarkson Clothier (retailing) and J. B. Lippincott (publishing).
This list has been compiled over years of landscape painting. Don’t go bankrupt trying to get everything on the list.It is given as a framework for what to bring. Your list may vary.
For Oil Painting and or Acrylic or Open (Slow Drying) Acrylic
One small set (at least 12) of oil colors, or acrylics
One tube of titanium white
Other colors to add, if you like:
Alizarin crimson
Cadmium yellow hue
Cadmium red hue
Cadmium orange hue
Dioxazine purple
Ultramarine blue
Phthalo green
Phthalo blue
Lamp black
Sap Green
Payne’s Gray
Earth colors
Burnt sienna
Burnt umber
Raw sienna
Raw umber
Yellow ochre
Naples yellow
Brushes: white nylon flats – 1 inch, ½ inch, ¼ inch, at least two of each
Rags – paper towels/handy wipes
Palette knife
1 white charcoal pencil, General’s #558 is a good choice.
5 small canvas panels or wood or masonite, or heavy watercolor paper – 8 x 10, 9 x 12 or 11 x 14 inches, prepared with two thin coats of gesso primed with a toned or gray surface – this will be demonstrated if needed. If your canvas is pre-primed white, half your work is done one coat of gray paint is all that is needed.
Disposable palette or roll of butcher’s paper or freezer paper (at grocery store)
Other Supplies
Any type of lightweight easel for working in the field. A French folding easel is best, but not mandatory. The Julian French easel seems to work best.
Link:
https://www.dickblick.com/products/jullian-original-french-easel.
Poached Boxes are another option. https://www.judsonsart.com/collections/pochade-boxes but you will still need to carry a separate bag for your paint.
And there are many others that can be found by an Internet search for: outdoor painting easel
Think about bringing small amounts of water, food, sunscreen, insect repellent.
Consider working outside the way you would hiking, fishing, or camping. Travel light but travel right! Plein air painting is the Navy SEALs of art. Anything can happen while you were painting. Your mission is to adapt, adjust, and overcome.

Instructor

Joseph Sweeney