Starting your own group

     If you are an artist looking for such a group as ours, we would strongly recommend that you get with others you know and form a similar group, rather than waiting years on our waiting list.  That's a lot of painting time going to waste.  It doesn't have to be large or formal or even have a name.  And getting started is a lot easier than it first looks.  Here are a few things we've learned that may be of help:

• In the beginning we did not have any real structure to the OPS: just a treasurer to handle income from dues and expenses for the group, and a person to put out the newsletter.  Fewer administrative duties mean more time to paint.
    

• Be sure to provide members with a contact list of the entire membership so that they can create more opportunities for painting with each other on their own.
   

• Finding paint-out locations is not difficult.  In fact, it's easier at first because everyone has a few favorite places to paint.  But, after your group has painted those places several times, you may find them "painted out" so you'll need to constantly be looking for new locations.
   

• If your group goes to a location that has boundaries (like an arboretum or park) it's easier for members to feel like they're "painting together" than if your area is, say, "around Ouray, Colorado".  In such undefined areas most of your members may not see each other except at meals or some other contrived gathering.  For this reason, when our trip is of this more loose-knit variety we make an effort to get together in the evenings .  And we sometimes have "show and tell" meetings near the end of a trip where we get to see each other's work and spend some time together.
   

• Cell phones are handy for contacting other members while on location.  And the small "walkie-talkies" are great when you're in two or more vehicles driving around looking for that perfect place to stop.
   

• Occasional exhibitions of members' paintings is fun, but can require quite a bit of work to put on.
   

• We live in a part of the country that gets downright uncomfortable in the summer.  So in August we usually reserve a suitable room somewhere, hire a model, bring still life props and spend the day in air-conditioned comfort painting something besides landscapes.  But we're still working from life which we consider critical to development.  We usually do the same in February as well, with one of the events in the Dallas area and one in the Houston area.  This provides opportunities for as many members as possible.  Something similar may work for you.

     We hope this helps inspire you to start your own painting group.  It's pretty easy to get started and it can be as simple or complex as your needs require and your time allows.  Good luck and happy painting.

(Return)