Wednesday, March 17, 2010

day one of plein-air painting

This image is from day one of my plein-air painting class with Peter Jones at La Tech University. This very small, 5" x 7", painting on canvas board was meant to be one of two or three quick studies. It turned out to be one frustrating, humbling experience trying to capture the light and colors of an overcast day. Peter says every stroke should count and each stroke should mean something, representing a specific part of the landscape. He also said that we shouldn't try to paint every little twig and leaf. At first, I spent a great deal of time "fussing" with too much detail. I finally settled down enough to simplify the values and shapes (that's a grazing sheep by the way). We'll see what this Thursday brings. Thank goodness Peter is patient and encouraging.

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