Day Two of Plein-Air

Yesterday, I worked on a larger canvas (14" x 11") & found that a little larger canvas works better for me, probably even larger would be better. Day two of Plein-Air oil painting went much better--at least I felt a little more comfortable once I got into the painting. The day was beautiful and the animals seemed happy to have us around, especially the little lamb that kept running around between us bleating for it's mommy. We realized that it wasn't lost from its mother; it just really liked being out among people and grazing on the other side of the fence. When I stated that I was concerned about my color, Peter said don't worry, it's not a legal document. That made sense--the color police aren't going be checking my painting against the acutual scene, so I need to be a little more confident & paint what I see--not what others see.

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.