Time to get back outside

Welcome back! It has been a while since my last post.  This time of year is exciting for plein-air painters. The chance to get back out in the field without worry of losing grip of the brush and feet freezing to the ground. The last part is an exaggeration, but it certainly feels that way when its freezing outside and your wearing heavy boots. This was my second attempt at painting outside a few weeks back. There have been a few warm streaks so far this year and I made sure to take advantage of them. Now it looks like there will be a longer warm streak. I've been boxing up my still life objects and filling out all the paper work for paint outs. I will be posting regularly again now that I can get outside to paint. Also I was painting almost exclusively in oil during the winter months. Yesterday though was a day of re-arranging my pastel palette. Once I get outside the pastels will be good to have out again.

Busy Day

Today was a productive day for me. I got to paint in plein air today and then a figure session tonight. Got a total of 7 paintings between the two. Unfortunately I didn't have time to get any of them on here so I am posting a painting that was completed at the Brookville paint out. This was done at the white water canoe rental place as soon as you get into town. There was a large group painting that morning and it was a lot of fun. With a little planning tomorrow I should be back on track.

Finishing in studio

A while back I posted the top painting after a weekend in crawfordsville. I liked the painting a lot but it still had problems that were unresolved. It has been sitting in my studio for a while now and every day I look at it figuring out what it was that needed to be changed to make it better. The same thing happens to most of my plein air paintings. Rarely have I signed anything while out in the field. Today I didn't feel like taking on a new painting so I got a few down off the shelves and went to work on them. The lower left corner of the painting seemed weak and  not finished to me. A few marks were taken away and a few added. Nothing major was changed. The painting was however photographed outside in natural light and that made a huge difference in color. The dingy yellow light cast from the bulbs doesn't do the pastel pigment justice.

Anyway I have been down and out since Sunday so that's why I haven't been on here. I feel much better now and will resume posting

Productive weekend

 At the end of last week and through the weekend I spent a lot of time painting. After saying I would post up further steps to my process I went absent for some time but it was well spent. This weekend I spent in crawfordsville and driving to and from there. I found amazing places to paint with wonderful lighting. I ran into Jeff Clinker my first morning there and got to see one of his paintings in an early stage. There were also other painters that I truly admire because of there work and work ethics that I got to meet.  Jerry Smith, Jeanne McLeish, and Mark Burkett let me tag along with them one morning and it was wonderful. I even got to watch over Jerry Smith's shoulder while he painted. It was better than a workshop. I got to watch as he painted on site, and Jeanne and Mark gave me some advice and material to look at and read.  It was a weekend that is at the top of my painting journey so far. Also if you ever get the chance to check out Jerry Smith's gallery and studio jump on the chance. I've never seen anything so industrious in the art world. It was productivity in its most beautiful form. That is what I want to imitate and with time it will be a reality. I hope these three paintings make up for my absence. More should be flowing daily after this barely slept weekend.

Late Start

I was busy this morning so it wasn't until after 5 that I made it out the door to paint. That was a mistake. After driving around out in the country for about 30 minutes I decided to head back into town and go to the park. After walking around for another half an hour I stumbled upon a little crook in the river. The sun was getting fairly low at that point and it was shinning at the top of the bend. After I put down the under painting the light on the bend disappeared. Once the light was gone it started to get dark quickly where I was at. The darkness was followed by frustration and a ton of mosquitoes. By the time I had decided to quit the painting had come close to finding a new home in the river. But I'm not the kind of person to throw expensive paper in water so I brought it back, took some pictures, and wiped it down. Always remember to spray yourself down with bug spray before you go out there in the afternoon. That or roll around in some mud.

Richmond Paint Out

Today is a busy day so I will not be able to paint until tonight. But, in the spirit of posting a painting everyday here is a pastel from this past Saturday. This was done at the Indiana Plein Air Painters Association (IPAPA) paint out in Richmond. This is the first event I had been to with the IPAPA. Richmond is a long drive and I was hesitant to go. I had only painted in plein air one time before. Once there I got to talking to two artist who invited me along to paint with them. After some time I struck out on my own. One of the guys gave me directions to the place above. There was a river running alongside a park and I found this little S bend in the river. The shadows from the trees on the right bank cast over the water and onto the shore of the other side drew me to the spot.    

For any Indiana artist that has never been to an IPAPA event I would highly recommend it. The people hosting the event are friendly, there are a lot of great artist to watch and learn from, and its good practice to get out there and paint.

Here is a link to their website. http://inpainters.org/  Their next paint out is less than a month away so mark it down if you're in the area.