My Approach to Painting on Location (a demo)

Note: This is a four part plein air painting demonstration of my painting "Vineyard Patterns".You can see the rest of the demo at the following links: Part II, Part III, Part IV (conclusion). 1. Step one: Choose a scene.

I often head out to the Virginia mountains to do some plein air painting, and on a morning last week I visited Veritas Vineyards in Afton Virginia. This is a beautiful winery and there are many possibilities for painting subject matter. However, my umbrella broke and I hadn't yet purchased a new one, which can make painting on location in an open field a bit difficult. If the sun is shining directly on your canvas, all you see is a bunch of glare and your paintings end up turning out way to dark and muddy as a result.

Having said that, I can't stress enough how important it is to take the time to choose a scene that excites and interests you. You have a better chance of producing a much better painting as a result. Luckily I came upon a nice shady spot in a private area off of the main road past the winery's tasting room and became excited about this scene:

Okay, so it loses something in my photograph, perhaps! But what I liked about this scene was the abstract shapes and patterns formed by the sweeping lines of the vines and ground. The light was constantly going back and forth behind cloud masses, making painting with consistent lighting very difficult. But that is the fun challenge of painting on location!

2. Lay out the design.

My paintings usually begin very inauspiciously, I'm afraid! All I want to do at this point is plan my layout and get the elements of the scene down in very abstract shapes.

As you can plainly see, I have to work quickly with the changing light, so I don't do a lot of detailed drawing. In fact, I'd say I do far fewer details in the plein air drawing stage than I do in the studio, and if any one were to come upon my painting at this stage they would hardly be impressed! But the marks mean something to me, and I guess that's what matters. In the coming days I will continue to unfold this plein air painting demo, so stay tuned!

Note: This is a four part plein air painting demonstration of my painting "Vineyard Patterns". You can see the rest of the demo at the following links: Part II, Part III, Part IV (conclusion).

Little Shop on the Corner

Here is a recent inquiry I received from a fellow artist: "I, like you, have been lucky enough to be in Provence  during Lavender season, and i have been back several times. My question  is....that color of "blue" on the shutters and doors you see everywhere...what color is that, and how can I mix it.  William Alexander  got me hooked on painting several years ago, and I even have my own Mt  Ste. Victoire hanging in my house.  Any help you have with this color is  greatly appreciated.  Thanks in advance. -JH"

To which I replied:

"Hi JH- could you be more specific? I've seen a particular blue/gray and also a more vivid blue in the shutters. But both are a challenge to mix. If you use pure local color, the shutters tend to look too bright and candy-like. However, I've had some success with mixing combinations of Rembrandt's Sevres Blue + Cobalt Blue + white and a *touch* of cadmium orange to gray it down as needed. How much of each in the combination depends on the value and hue of the shutter. Try that and see what you think."

...And here's my own bit of experimenting with just that very challenge:

"The Little Shop on the Corner" Roussillon, Provence, France Oil on Canvas, 16x20"

The Family Cabin

I have taken some time this week to enjoy the weather and do some plein air painting in the mountains around Crozet, Virginia. This is an afternoon painting of a family cabin near a fish pond on the grounds of a lovely local winery called King Family Vineyards. I will do a little more "finesse" work on this one before I call it done, but I thought I'd share it here so far. It measures 12x16" and is oil on canvas:

UPDATE: See the completed painting here.

The Struggle

There must be some artists out there who never struggle with feelings of frustration. If they exist I'd love to meet them, as I am certainly not one of them! As grateful as I am for being able to pursue my art freely each day,I still have my moments.  I am happy to say, however, that my fits are briefer than they used to be, and they are fewer and farther between. It's a solitary business, and sometimes the solitude alone can get to you. Sometimes the art-making itself feels like a struggle; the vision is there, but the ability to fully execute it to your artistic satisfaction may lag behind. Other times, it's the "business" side of art that frustrates.  Being a full time painter, it is something I definitely need to manage in order to prosper; but sometimes the drive to do so just isn't there.

But life is what you make of it. It's a cliche, but the longer I'm here on earth, the more I realize it to be true. I can look at my art making as a struggle, or I can see it as a challenge. I can bemoan my shortcomings or I can look forward to mastering a new skill.

I came across a wonderful quote the other day that just leapt out at me. It comes from an article on writing by the talented best selling author Elizabeth Gilbert. The quote has to do specifically with film making, but I think it applies just as well to anyone pursuing an artist's life:

"Quit your complaining. It’s not the world’s fault that you wanted to be an artist. It’s not the world’s job to enjoy the films you make, and it’s certainly not the world’s obligation to pay for your dreams. Nobody wants to hear it. Steal a camera if you have to, but stop whining and get back to work.� - Werner Herzog German Filmmaker

This is one for me to print off and paste above my both my easel and my computer. So the next time I might feel like whining I can just take a breath, consider these words, and get back to work.

Rose Garden in Provence

Fresh off the studio easel is a new painting of a beautiful rose garden I saw while visiting the area around Lourmarin.

 

 This painting measures 24x24" and is oil on gallery wrapped canvas. The painting continues around all four sides so it is ready to hang and no extra framing is needed:

The roses are blooming here in Virginia also, and I'll head out this weekend and part of next week to capture some of them en plein air.

For more information about the painting featured, please click on either image above, or contact me.