Plein Air Adventures

Bugs flying into paint, easels upset by high winds, ridiculous heat, thunderstorms-seriously?  This is all part of plein air painting.  The term refers to painting outdoors to capture the true light and color of a scene.  Have you heard of putting hot water bottles under your palette to keep the oil paint from freezing?  Yes, I have done it!  The things they don’t teach you in art school. 

I try to execute as much as possible in the field.  With shadows changing constantly it may be necessary to return the next day---at the same time of course, with fingers crossed the weather will be the same.   The goal is to capture the fleeting light, translating a time of day, and communicating the atmosphere of the place. 

Sometimes I go back to the studio with color notes and a photo to work on a larger canvas.   Even in the figure work, I like to paint the entire room including students and easels as well as the model.  To me it is another landscape.