Tilghman Island Wetlands; Plein air painting

This piece was painted at about 5 pm. after a full day of painting in the hot, hot, sun. Sun sets around here at around 8 pm. but even so the light changed very quickly. There was a pinkish haze in the clouds and sky which may not be showing up that well in the image here, and the greys are really have more color in them, but I'm using limited image editing software on the road. This painting is 8"x10" and painted with the same 6 color + white palette I used yesterday.

A hazy day at Tilghman Island

If you are on the east coast, perhaps you witnessed some of that torrential driving rain that came through various parts yesterday. Well, I drove through it to get to the Eastern Shore! But I finally made it in one piece and got out to Tilghman Island to paintthe boats near the marina.  It was a very hot, hazy and humid day. The sun was out but it was a rather diffused, flatbut ever changing light that made for fairly close value ranges and a bit of a challenging subject. I started rather late in the morning but made this oil sketch with a limited palette of 6 colors plus white:

For this painting I used cadmium yellow light, raw sienna, alizarin crimson, permanent rose, ultramarine blue, ivory black and titanium white.  This is not my usual palette which is more of a double primary plus an extra color or two (and also devoid of black). But I'm practicing with the limited palette en plein air because it really helps to learn how to mix colors. It is also much lighter on the load if you can carry fewer paints!

Off to the Eastern Shore

I'm taking off for a few days to the Eastern Shore of Maryland with the intention of doing a little painting on location.  Blogging may be spotty if at all due to limited internet access, but I will try. I have been taking advantage of travel this summer since things always seem to kick into high gear in the fall and things at the gallery can get pretty busy. In light of my travels I will not be participating in the August First Fridays Richmond Art Walk (I'll gear back up again for the Art Walk in September). But there will still be a lot going on at the other venues, so be sure to check them out if you are in Richmond.

Plein air painting in Maymont Park

It was such a beautiful morning (and uncharacteristically NOT humid!) that I went down to Maymont Park to paint the crepe myrtles in full bloom. I was dissuaded from heading into the main part of the park because several busloads of people were unloading themselves at the entrance. Sometimes I don't care about the crowds but today I wasn't in the mood. So I looked around and saw a rather ignored (and slightly overgrown) little park just across the street with some nice pink crepe myrtles and a stone obelisk. I will probably touch this piece up a bit, so I am calling it a work in progress, though I consider it nearly completed on site. 

"Dooley Monument, Richmond" 12"x9" (work in progress)

I don't know if this obelisk has another name than the one I've given it. My research so far has turned up nothing on this specific monument, though the writing on the stone clearly honors Mr. James H. Dooley, benefactor of many charitable and civic causes in the City of Richmond and the former owner of the property that is now Maymont Park.

What attracted me to this particular scene was the vertical movement of the monument and the trees, countered by the horizontal shadows that spilled across the ground.

Ocracoke- Painting in the Wind!

I don't know if you've been watching the HUGE storm pattern that has been tormenting the Southeast lately, but it's a doozie. Luckily, Ocracoke has had only a mild version of the storm that has wreaked havoc on its neighbors.

We have had sun, rain, sun, rain, clouds, sun and clouds.

Changing light and most especially wind are the nemesis of the plein air painter, but then again, that is part of the fun of it.  Here is a scene of the harbor on a sunny and very windy morning.

Obviously this painting isn't finished. In fact there is LOTS to do if I want to develop this piece. The mast and water need work, as does some shading on the boat. But considering that I had to catch my panel mid-air!! before it went splat in the sand due to the high wind (did I say this was fun?!)  I think I got a fairly good impression of my subject matter. In any event, my companion seemed much more interested in his plastic water bottle-toy, and pretty much unfazed by all of my antics (alas, we were never properly introduced!)

Aside from the wind and a few moments of summer showers, we've made out pretty well. Noses are sunburned, and we've enjoyed the wild beauty of this area. The beaches aren't too bad either!