Month: March 2012

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A Plein Air Morning

The weather has been phenomonal for March, so I could not resist getting out this morning for my first plein air session of the season.  I left my knives behind today and just did a good old fashioned brush painting.  It felt good.  I was right on a bluff overlooking the lake at Sheridan Park in Cudahy.  The sun was still low in the east, creating a dramatic light from the left.  I was inspired by the dark evergreens silouetted againts the bright eastern sky.  I enjoyed the fresh air and the freedom of capturing a passing momoent in time.  This is definately the best plein air session I have managed so far- can’t wait to do more.

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Head in the Clouds

Lately I have been painting and drawing clouds.  I thought it would offer a different perspective and fun change.  However, it has proven to be more challenging in oil paint using my knife.  The hard, rough, and aggressive surface created with the painting knife contrasts with the assumed feeling of soft fluffy clouds.  I am going to try to work with this conflict and see what I can make of it.  I also suspect I will be pulling out the brushes soon.  The pastels, on the other hand, are quite easy.  As seen in this recent pastel drawing, the pastels blend and soften easily into representational forms.  Is direct representation my intent?  I would still argue that it is not – though I enjoy making the more representational pastels before taking liberties in the oil painting.  This also give me a clearer sense of what I am doing when I manipulate, simplify, or translate in oil.

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Evolving

I have not abandoned the pond project yet- however boredom has motivated me to seek ways of keeping it interesting.  Yes, I have been using more brushwork.  I still begin with a knife for a loose beginning to each painting.  I block in areas of color quickly.  Then, with a small round brush I maneuver the paint on the surface.  The most important application for the brush is capturing the branches.  I am also able to create more detail and subtlety through this hybrid mark making system.  These two paintings were done using the same limited palette of cadmium orange, ultramarine blue, and titanium white.  These images are taken from photograph- two pictures shot just days apart.