More About Plein Air

After attending a plein air workshop a couple of weeks ago, priming the pump, the past week has been devoted to painting outdoors. This despite (as of 9am today) 11 inches of rain, as measured by the gauge just outside the studio. Even with the rain the weather has been balmy--highs about 80 and scattered cumuli--and has allowed ample painting opportunities.

"Outside at Last," oil on panel, 9x12, 2019

The usual problems one encounters outdoors have been there, of course. The first day it was warm enough to attract clouds of gnats, almost a bug storm, many of which attempted to land on me despite the repellent I used and many of which did land in my painting. Because the weather threatened on occasion I painted on the shady deck outside. That way I could retreat if the rains came. Because the light changes in about two hours I painted on two succeeding days. To practice with warm and cool greens and with various kinds of edges I chose an outdoor still life of two house plants that have been moved outdoors. "Outside at Last" is oil on panel, 9x12. The wall and foliage in the distance made an interesting backdrop to the plants posed next to a railing.

"Perennials," oil on panel, 9x12, 2019

Spring brings lush growth and even more lush flowers in the perennial bed out front. The iris and peonies are bursting into bloom. The challenge is to simplify yet evoke the look of each of the different types of plant, from the upright, blue-green swords of irises to the dark green ball shapes of peonies and drooping yellow-greens of daylillies, there are challenges aplenty in painting greenery. The sloping grass in bright sun contrasted with the more shady left side of the beds and trees. Standing on the drive, I simplified much of the view, leaving out obvious details in favor of overall shapes of the various flowers and buds. The light was very bright and I was in shade, making judgments about colors and values more difficult, but at least there was no bug storm. The temptation is always to detail each portion of the painting, but here I tried very hard to start with large shapes and gradually decrease the sizes of the ensuing mosaic, trying to stop before getting too picky.

"Downstream, Druid Hill Creek," oil on panel, 12x16, 2019

The last outdoor work for the week was the view downstream along Druid Hill Creek. Rain had sent torrents down the creek bed, scouring out any branches or other detritus and leaving rocks exposed along the opposite bank. I painted the rocks and drooping honeysuckle branches over the water of the stream, trying hard to capture the movement of the water. Standing just above, the perspective of the creek became flatter and the foliage obscured the banks not far downstream, where light was filtering down, and sparking off stones and ripples. Proximity to water means more insects, but I prepared diligently with repellent and although their buzzing was an annoyance, I got no bites. It took two sessions with this subject, as with the first two.

As expected, painting on the spot is really and most seriously about seeing, for me. One must see the colors and how they are affected by the ambient light and atmosphere (moisture, dust, etc. in the air). At the same time the painter has to decide what to leave out and how to treat what is left. If you factor in changeable weather, insects, friendly or unfriendly animals and people (or traffic and everything that brings in cities), painting outdoors is a challenge. Nonetheless, it's worth it so far.

More to come.