making the switch from studio to plein air.
June 9, 2010
In my last blog I was full of anticipation and vigor for new inspiration. Today, I sit looking at my computer screen in utter disbelief that I actually call myself an artist. You see, summer time changes everything. I look outside and long to be out in all that luscious green…..I hear the birds chirping happily, watch as the sun plays on the leaves of our aspen trees, enjoy the fragrance of newly mown grass heavy in the air… out of the corner of my eye I catch the patio, now partially in cool shade, beaconing me with its outdoor living room grandeur… flowers spill out of pots and along pathways around the house - their joyful mix of colors drawing me closer and closer, reminding me of the Impressionists vibrant color pallet… long cooling evenings of walking through the damp lawn, accompanied by a glass of wine and the voice of my husband by my side, pull me from the studio and any thoughts of painting. So short, so sweet - this summer will pass all too quickly. Please, please can I stay outside? I promise to return to the studio in the fall, lock myself in and paint until the smell of grass and the rustle of aspen leaves call me outside again.
Obviously, it’s June and, just in the nick of time, my career will be saved by the first of my plein air summer adventures. Remember my blogs from last fall - the ones about returning to the studio? Cold weather and the need for warm toes and fingers brought me inside then.
Thanks, I just learned something I didn’t know I knew…. It is difficult both ways, yes, but there is joy, progress, inspiration, pleasure, happiness and success in both scenarios. So, I say to myself, “Ginger, old girl, get on with it and stop being a sissy. Change is good.” I feel better already.
Only trouble is I have little to share with you, but share I will with some explanation of the process involved.
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BEFORE Wild Iris Home 12 x 16 Oil
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AFTER Wild Iris Home 12 x 16 Oil
I can’t decide if this one is done or not – I’ll let it sit for a while, but in general, I worked on the iris colors, then completed the buildings and reworked them to harmonize with the iris. Remember, a painting works because of harmony, variety and connection!
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BEFORE Prelude to Snow 12 x 16 Oil
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AFTER Prelude to Snow 12 x 16 Oil
This one is NOT done... I have worked and reworked the right “man-made” bank and am very unhappy, but looking at it today, I understood the main issue. I’ll keep it a secret, but if you have a suggestion, make a comment on this blog and we will see if you have the same ideas as I. I had a good time working on the subtle greys in the distance and near background to create distance in a small space. The contact point of the big tree and the rocky left bank was awkward so I lowered the left bank elevation and kept a suggestion of a steeper left hillside. I hope when the floods come, this bank will sustain the increased flow – it’s on the outside curve! Good thing I’m not an engineer.
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BEFORE Henry’s Fork 14 x 18 Oil
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AFTER Henry’s Fork 14 x 18 Oil
Still not completed. I have some things yet to do here, but what I did was: I cooled the right green bank to create distance, darkened the middle water and warmed it (for contrast), cooled the color of the reflected sky to balance the new cool sky color (colors are darker in reflection), added misty colors on the water surface at the intersection of reflection, shadow and transparency (sometimes we see this as a haze or sometimes surface algae becomes visible at this intersection), and generally worked with the transparent water composition, color and temperature.
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Yesterday, while painting with a small group of artists who meet at my studio a couple times a month, I laid out a companion to the Henry’s Fork painting as seen above. I haven’t done this type of thing recently, but the location for these paintings was the same only looking in different directions. I frequently paint like this on location, so it seemed like a good idea.
Henry’s Fork II 14 x 18 Oil On the Easel
Tea break’s over and I am back on my head…..painting away in the studio, listening to the birds and catching quick longing glimpses of the sunlight playing on aspen leaves. But today I will prepare my plein air paraphernalia and be ready in a heart beat for painting adventures out doors! Perfect!
Thanks for listening while I find my way through the maze of being an artist.
Ciao,
Ginger
