john
Well-known member
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Yesterday I bought a French easel at the local Michaels, and tried out this plein air painting thing, again. I've been a skeptic. I tried it before while camping with watercolor, with poor results. Then I tried once with oil but I had to go to the bathroom so I took a picture and went home. Stupid plein air. What do the French know anyhow. They like making things difficult. It's all hype.
But today, in full reality escaping winter solstice mode, I took the easel, some paint, and a canvas to the park by the shore. It was 40 F and windy but I found a spot behind a dune that was calm. Surprisingly, I only forgot masking tape, to make a clean horizon line, so I had to wing it with using the pallet edge as a straight edge.
I fumbled around for a while as usual, because I barely know how to mix colors, and chased the last two hours of the afternoon in frustration. Not much was working. Then it happened. The pinkish light that only happens for a short while at sunset and sunrise. And I sort of maybe got the color onto the canvas. The "golden hour". I think it's less than that.
I used a pallet knife for the whole painting, which really surprises me. I have Richard Musgrave-Evans to thank for that. Watching his vids on YT. Something about the knife makes it easier to get paint down without fuss. It encourages being loose. I have no idea how to use it so I have no expectations.
This needs some finishing, like some some whites and more structure in the clouds, and a horizon straightening, and I don't like the foreground sea, I was trying to use up all the paint on the pallet because it was getting cold and dark so I just slapped it down there.
Not the greatest painting ever but I'm pretty stoked about this plein air thing now. It was fun.
And once again, the phone camera makes things more yellow. There is not this much yellow in the clouds IRL.
Thanks for looking..and reading this long post.... suggestions?
16x20 inches
But today, in full reality escaping winter solstice mode, I took the easel, some paint, and a canvas to the park by the shore. It was 40 F and windy but I found a spot behind a dune that was calm. Surprisingly, I only forgot masking tape, to make a clean horizon line, so I had to wing it with using the pallet edge as a straight edge.
I fumbled around for a while as usual, because I barely know how to mix colors, and chased the last two hours of the afternoon in frustration. Not much was working. Then it happened. The pinkish light that only happens for a short while at sunset and sunrise. And I sort of maybe got the color onto the canvas. The "golden hour". I think it's less than that.
I used a pallet knife for the whole painting, which really surprises me. I have Richard Musgrave-Evans to thank for that. Watching his vids on YT. Something about the knife makes it easier to get paint down without fuss. It encourages being loose. I have no idea how to use it so I have no expectations.
This needs some finishing, like some some whites and more structure in the clouds, and a horizon straightening, and I don't like the foreground sea, I was trying to use up all the paint on the pallet because it was getting cold and dark so I just slapped it down there.
Not the greatest painting ever but I'm pretty stoked about this plein air thing now. It was fun.
And once again, the phone camera makes things more yellow. There is not this much yellow in the clouds IRL.
Thanks for looking..and reading this long post.... suggestions?
16x20 inches
