Plein Air painting is Hard.

Union Flat II
6" x 8"
oil on canvas board

Whew! I decided today to go back to Union Flat Creek to try my hand at the rocks again. Getting there, but they still just look like globs of paint rather than rocks. What am I not doing that I should?

I may have to do some up close and personal rock studies...

I also decided to concentrate on the drawing bit of this painting, and found that helped a lot. I've been reading Richard Schmid's Alla Prima so today, I was trying to look at the subject as a specific problem that I needed to work out. As I was painting, I realized how little attention I have been paying to the exact placement of objects in the view.

Color. All the greens really get me. Subtle changes make all the difference, I suppose...

I need more drawing practice.

Multitasking: Completed Castle, another plein air painting, and Kreativ blogger.

Castle on Anderson Road
11" x 14"
oil on canvas
Sold

Woohoo! Finished! I fought with the fence for a while- scraped it three times. Finally I daubed some paint down and holy-pamonie! it looked like a fence. How did that happen!?

Thank you little painting elves.

Sunset Cloud Study
6" x 8"
oil on canvas board
Click here to purchase.

I got to paint outside again last night! I ended up with this high key painting of the view from the parking lot in front of the apartment. I wasn't chasing shapes this time. I sketched out the basic design first and then went with it.

And, thank you Jared Kelly for passing the Kreativ Blogger award on to me. I will happily pass it on to seven other people whose blogs I really like. Check them out- it is worth your time.

Marian Fortunati
Laurel Daniel
Liz Holm
Perry Brown
Dana Cooper
Lee Brown
Rick Nilson
Terry Miura

So that was eight... I can't count.

Yet another lovely plein air painting day

Break Time
8" x 6"
oil on canvas board

Painting number one: My first ever attempt at painting sheep! I like it. I practiced rearranging the scene to suit my needs. Which was kind of a necessity because the sheep kept moving around as they belched at their young. These sheep didn't bleat. They belched. It was the strangest thing I have ever heard.

Blah
8" x 6"
oil on canvas board

Painting number two: Same location, facing a different direction. I don't care for this one. There is not enough definition in the trees- they just sort of blend in with things they shouldn't. There isn't enough contrast to suit my taste either. I also don't care for the way the trees all sort of line up. Irritating.

The sheep were very obliging and moved to this side of the field when I started painting it.
I'm going to try this one again another day.

Union Flat
6" x 8"
oil on canvas board

Painting number 3: I have driven past this scene like fifty times and never stopped to try it. The rocks are what drew me, initially, but I ended up concentrating more on the water so my rocks are pretty indistinct. I enjoyed this painting, and will definitely be stopping there again. Next time I will focus on the rocks a bit more...

Progress? Aaarrgh!

It always gets me when I drag my feet.

So here is what happens.... I let a painting sit on my easel for more than two days without hitting it hard. I feel like I am not making any progress... which I am not, because I am not taking the time to paint, and frustration sets in because dog-gonnit, this painting is just not painting itself! What is up with that!?!

I am incredibly intimidated by these greyish shrubs. So I stall. Part of me wishes little elves would come and fix the shrubs on my painting in the night so when I wake up, everything will be perfect and la-la.

Sigh.

Plein Air Magazine

Oh Oh Oh!!! The publishers of Fine Art Connoisseur are thinking about bringing Plein Air Magazine back, but they need to know how much interest there is out there. If anyone is interested, please please please go to the website and fill out the survey. It just takes a second. They just ask you if you are interested, what you would like to see in the contents, and what materials you prefer...

It was a real shame when they discontinued Plein Air Mag. I canceled my subscription when they changed the magazine but will re-up the second they start printing it again.

Oddly enough, I was pining over the magazine just last night. I found the link on Facebook a few minutes ago and am hoping to get the word out so we can get this incredible resource back.