Painting Without the Comforts of a Studio

With great respect for those who consider themselves purist in the "plein air" genre of painting, I want to explain a bit why I find the sport so difficult.

To the left is a "practice piece" I did the Friday before the Crossnore event.  I termed it practice as it had been a while since I went out and, unlike my tennis bag which is always filled with all I need, I was not certain my supplies were rounded up.  To forget your brushes or a specific tube of paint or even your terp or paper towels can make the day a no-go,  and yes, there were a few items I was missing.

Patti's Road: 8 x 10 oil on panel

Having all your supplies at the ready in a backpack is rule #1 of those venturing forth to paint in nature.  As a studio painter, I take breaks to hunt up something I cant find, or, horrors, dash to the store to acquire it.

Praying for Rain

unfinished oil on canvas, 12 x 16

The elements are another important factor in plein air work, as in, you gotta deal with the outdoor conditions which include bugs, heat, cold, and encroaching storms.  During the event I kept eyeing this barn to paint. By the day I got around to it we were watching a storm move in.  With the wind coming up I had to weigh down my easel...I watched as another artist's rig toppled due to the umbrella catching a gust and sailing off.  And of course the skies were changing rapidly meaning  I had to pack up before finishing this piece.  So back to the studio to work on it....altho some plein air purists would wait patiently for another stormy day so they could head back out and paint it authentically.

View off of Highway 221

11 x 14 oil  still in progress

My first day out I found gorgeous views of fields and mountains off of Highway 221....and no where to paint!  Finally I spotted an abandoned fruit stand on a sliver of land off a curve and pulled over to set up camp. Location, location, location: another critical factor in plein air work.   You cannot always set up where a photographer can grab a shot and run.  While composition is still an important part of the finished work, it is not always easy to get in a position that allows the perfect composition en situ.

One time I was so intent on getting the perfect view of a barn that I was not watching where I was going, I was merely scoping out the angle:

Slush!  I landed in the middle of a muddy ditch that was very hard to walk out of !  Now I was painting with very wet (cold) feet.

Hwy 221 View Reduex

oil on panel, palette knife, 11 x 14, plein air

Most plein air work is finished on site which means that you can only layer a few colors before the wet paint will not stick.  On the contrary I love to layer and layer and layer in the studio....because I can allow the paint to dry between layers.  Not only does this help create texture but other colors can peek through creating a lot of depth.  This was another piece I did off the highway but I came back to the studio to finish.

Like most new things we are challenged to learn, the more I paint plein air, the greater the joy.  I certainly intend to get out often this summer so that next time around I can spend more time enjoying the experience and less worrying about the outcome.  My painting sold at the auction for a very respectable figure so all is well that ends well.....as they say: nothing ventured nothing gained.

Hope you seize the next opportunity you have to stretch yourself a bit....it can be very rewarding.

Color fully yours,

cindy

Miracle in the Mountains for Crossnore School

I am not a plein air painter (another blog as to why) but I believe in pushing my comfort zone and in helping others where I am able.  Crossnore School for Children is one of those places anyone of us could have needed had life gone a bit differently.  So when Crossnore Fine Arts Gallery manager Heidi Fisher called and asked me to participate in a paint out and auction (my other unfavorite activity) to benefit the school's "Stepping Stones" program (an independent transitional living program for children who have aged out of the system) there was no way I could refuse.

So, three long days painting outdoors from 10 am until 5 pm, enduring mud, wind, bug bites and forgotten supplies, I am now ready to frame a painting for the auction next week.  It is still wet, not totally to my satisfaction, and I get a pit in my stomach thinking I have to watch as people bid, or not bid, on it alongside the 11 other works done by real artists.

Possibilities

11 x 14, oil and palette knife on canvas

wooden silver plein air frame

100% of purchase price goes to Stepping Stones Program

I did this piece on the second day of painting and the name of it is significant.  Being as nervous as I was about the experience, I called upon a few close friends for support.  Periodically they would send me a text message ("you can do it" or "you'll do great" or even a "good luck") and when I sent them progress photos they would respond with gushing reviews and continuing encouragement.  No matter what I sent them, they loved it because they loved and supported me.  They were my safety net, my cheering squad, and my support group. I survived with their help.

The "Stepping Stones" program attempts to do that same exact thing for kids who have aged out of the state supported system of child care.  They turn 18, graduate....and then what?  With no family providing a safety net, forced to strike out on their own with no support group, where do they turn for that all important validation of a cheering squad?  (and I thought painting outdoors was hard ??)  Eight kids graduated this month and my thoughts turned to them as I painted. How would I have faced that situation?  Re-girding my loins, I decided to be part of their team and, even if I had to paint, frame and then buy my own piece, I would do what I could to support the program that assures them the support they deserve while crafting a new life chapter.  I'd be a cheerleader.  Now the painting part seemed much easier: Possibilities existed for them and for me.

The Gallery asked for one more piece to hang for sale and I am providing these:

Around the Bend

10 x 8, oil and palette knife on canvas

gold wood plein air frame

and

Off the Highway

6 x 8, oil and palette knife on board

gold filigree wood frame

You may find plein air pieces that are technically better, but you won't find any that are more heartfelt or sincere than these.  Yes, I want to be a much better plein air artist at this time next year, but those kids needed a cheering squad this year, life does not wait for perfect conditions.

The auction will be held Wednesday, June 18 at the Hugh Chapman Center (part of the Avery County YMCA) from 5 pm until 7pm.  There is no admission charge and you will enjoy light refreshments and wines.   Last year Heidi said they even had some phoned in bids so if you want to participate you can either give me a "go-to limit" on your bid or contact her through the gallery link.  

Now excuse me, I need to go experiment with framing wet art!

Humbly yours,

Cindy

Check it off the Bucket List

While I have spent my life in Florida I had never seen the Everglades...(how can I even call myself a Florida Cracker?)  It's been on my 'bucket list' for a long time so when a friend mentioned she would go I jumped at the chance. I'll cut a long story short to: three ladies packed up with paints and cameras, loaded down with a tent and air mattresses set off on a grand venture to Florida's most famous National Park.  And it was an adventure!  Being the resourceful type we did not let the (unanticipated) fact of no water nor electric at our campsite deter us.  We covered the landscape, learned a lot and painted as well.  I'll be sharing lots of painting from that escapade in later posts.  But I will start with my favorite: "River of Grass."

After sunburning our necks and hands the day before we elected to find a covered post from which to paint.  There is a lovely boardwalk, the PaHayOkee Trail, which basically juts out onto the sawgrass prairie.  I set up here for a long view of the miles and miles of grasses which filter the waters that run south from the Kissimmee area in central Florida.

Here's my beginning sketch.  It was really pretty dry this time of year but there was a little bit of water flowing just close to the boardwalk area.

This canvas is only 12" x 6".  I really enjoy that shape in either direction.  It was actually fun when a few visitors stopped to chat.  Many were foreign tourists but we had a lovely conversation with some retired Natl Park Rangers....

 

River of Grass

oil, 12 x 6

PaHayOkee, Everglades Natl Park, FL

 

Here's my final piece....keep in mind that the term "plein aire" implies that you are painting a size that can be done outside and then transported back to the studio.  I really want to review my photos and use this piece as a start for one done similarly but much larger.  While there are many different types of hammocks in the Everglades, the river of grass is the image that stands out in my mind.

 

I now feel like a real Floridian!

 

p.s. I will be activating my etsy.com shop again soon...all of my plein air work will be available at very reasonable prices for those who like to have reminders of places seen.  I'll give you a heads up!!

On the road...again!

This will be the year of plein air painting for me....that is, if I wish to continue painting and travel at the same time.  So I sucked in this past week and made some attempts at the Tomoka State Park in Ormond Beach. FL.  It is a gorgeous park and we had cool, crisp weather.  My first attempt (seated on the dock) was feeble at best...I started over 3x!  My group calls them "wipers," meaning we wipe them off and start again.  But I did finish attempt number three and lived to do a more decent one on day #2 with only one beginning.  Here's the story in photos:

Day #1, finishing the third attempt along the dock where we later rented a canoe

 

5" x 10" acrylic on board

 

Back at our campsite I wanted to touch up a few places, I think this photo makes me look like a really rugged painter...ha!

The next day we found a very quiet place where my feet were practically in the river...I think I was more relaxed knowing no one was going to be peeking over my shoulder, Bob snoozed with a book in the shade nearby

Final effort

6" x 12" acrylic on board

 

 

Two final thoughts: #1, acrylic is much too difficult to handle outdoors, it dries almost before you can get your brush in it, as much as I like not carrying solvents with me I think I will return to oils plein air.  #2 - I know several of you are worrying about the orange cord grasses and the turquoise brush; hmmmm, I take licence outdoors, it is more a feeling-color than a replicated-color.  I get a little tired painting muddy greens and browns in the dead of winter....enjoy.