Reaching for the Sky

8"x10" oil on RayMar panel, painted en plein air, alla prima, on 4/24 at the Buford Dam during the "Historic Buford (GA) Plein Air Festival"...currently on display at the Tannery Row Artist Colony. There is a bit of shadow from my easel showing at the upper edge of this photo.

"Without..."

The "Historic Buford (GA) Plein Air Festival" was this past weekend, hosting 43 artists. I did this quick color study on Saturday morning. I decided to leave it 'as is'...without doors, without windows, without cars, without people. The shapes were interesting enough.

painting alone or with someone??

While I love painting en plein air alone, with just the wind, birds and crickets - sometimes I meet a friend and we "parallel paint". We chose a location, chat briefly, then set up our easels. Sometimes we paint the same subject, but from different angles. Sometimes we face in opposite directions, but stay close enough to talk. Other times we aren't within eyesight of each other.

After painting for awhile, we take a short break and discuss any problems or "ah-ha!" moments. In packing up our equipment afterward, we view each others work. And we are always smiling - seeing the scene through someone elses eyes and through their brushwork and palette.

But again there are the times I paint alone, conversing with myself (aloud) asking "What color is that...and how do I mix it?" and "I wonder if there's a snake in those weeds?"

I love painting with friends - and I love painting alone.

This painting is still in the "laying in" stage - putting in the major, then secondary shapes and deciding on colors.

waiting for May

This 16x20 oil on stretched canvas was started en plein air in May '08. The main house is the pre-Civil War Clisby Austin house in Tunnel Hill, GA. Rather than finish the painting from memory or a photo, I plan to return to the same spot on the same day this May '09 -- maybe even at the same time of day. I usually don't work on larger canvases when painting on site, but this one was fun to do.