Alla prima outdoors; plein air at the park
14 05 2009Keeping to the topic of alla prima painting, here is a morning plein air landscape I did this week on a visit to Bryan Park:
“A Bend in the Pond”
Oil on Board, 9×12″
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Young’s Pond is actually the name of this pond (though there’s no relation to yours truly, and that’s not what drew me to the location to paint it!) It wasn’t until I was researching online that I even knew this pond’s name or history (part of a former 18th century gristmill).
Bryan Park is a neighborhood park with lovely old azaleas that put on a great show earlier in the spring. It’s a good “go to” spot for me when I need an easy-access opportunity to paint outdoors, as it’s very close to my home (a hefty walk with all my plein air gear, but definitely within cycling distance). Even so, it’s taken me a little while to warm up to it as a painting site. I find that sometimes with certain locations I need to visit them several times before I can hit it at the right time/place/day to inspire a painting. I’ve gone there a couple of times already in the early spring when the azaleas were in bloom, and even though the flowers were pretty, I just could not find anything I wanted to compose. I must have looked like a strange and suspicious character, just walking around with a big floppy hat and shabby backpack, staring at trees and bushes in a half-trance, (except for the times when I’d peer through the square formed with my hands)–All to no apparent end. The things we do for art!
This time since the season is over, I wasn’t lured to the azelea gardens and instead went directly to the pond. I got there early enough so that the light in the distance was still soft, though the shadows and highlights of the middle distance held enough contrast to interest me. I also liked the little pond “islands”, the flowering shrubs growing wild on the bank, and the curved retaining walls. Now that I know how the sun travels over this spot, I’ve also noted an adjacent site that I think will provide a nice back-lit scene in the later afternoon/early evening. I will return again soon when the time is right, and have another go at Young’s Pond. Who knows, maybe it will become a favorite plein air location after all?
p.s. I haven’t uploaded this painting to my website yet, so for now, please contact me directly if you’d like purchasing information.
p.p.s. For those who may be unfamiliar with the term “alla prima” that I’ve bandied about in these last few posts, it’s an Italian phrase that literally means “at first”. In art terms it refers to a painting done with a direct approach, usually completed in one sitting (wet-into-wet).
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Jennifer
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Jennifer,
It’s great to be able to come see what you’ve been up to and its quite a bit! I’ve been off line for 6 days due to a faulty phone line and it has been a week of seclusion. I’m so impressed with all your portrait and figure studies. You have made this your new focus and area of growth, how exciting. Your hard work is already showing!
Your plain air work continues to capture the wonderful atmosphere and spirit of the places you paint. I look back on some of your older works from just a year or two ago that I have saved on my favorites file and I see such an expansion in all aspects of your landscape visual vocabulary. I’m so excited for you! Bravo!!!
I don’t think anyone who has tried to paint plein air like this would deny your talents. Hats off to you. This time its for real!
Marilyn,
Sorry to hear your phone was illin’ (although sometimes a break is nice, isn’t it?) Thanks for your kind thoughts on the subject of my artistic growth. Maybe it’s all just starting to jell, but if I had to attribute it to something it would be that I’m painting more from life.
I have always done this, but over the past year or so I have really been making a concerted effort to kick it up a notch. There is just something about it. The obvious thing would be to say that it helps me to see more accurately. True. But even truer, for me, is I think it is helping me to discern. I don’t get it every time, but more and more I think I am getting a better understanding of how important it is to simplify. The very nature of painting from life REQUIRES you to do it. Life gives you far more than you can take in, so you do your best to discern what is essential. The result, when successful, can be profound. (And on the flip side, the result, when not successful, can be total crap. LOL!)
Rick- Thanks for the hat. I haven’t been able to find mine for weeks! Seriously, I do appreciate your comment (especially if I ignore the last sentence.
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