Laney Farm

8x10"
Pastel on Canson

This was painted on location at
Laney Farm in Farmington.
It was a warm, sunny day
without much wind. Lots
of birds singing, a few cows
mooing and an occasional bull
making his presence known.

Somewhere in New Mexico

8x10"
Pastel on 300 lb paper

Bogle Park

8x10"
Pastel on 300 lb paper

Today's painting was done on site
at a local park. It was sunny and 67 degrees
but windy as could be. My easel blew
over twice, some of my pastels were
shattered, but not my spirit!

I think it was mother nature's
way of saying, "you can capture me
on canvas, but I am still in charge, here catch this!'
as my easel blew over.

My goal was to capture the light on the arch and
on the tips of the bushes. They had a nice glow
about them this morning. One thing about
painting en plein air, is that the light is
continuously changing. By the time the group
was breaking up, the light was overhead and
there were no apparent shadows.

I enjoyed my painting time today, but next time
I will lug a big rock or a brick with me to
tie down my easel.

Farmland

8x10"
Pastel on 300 lb paper

Tomorrow will be my first plein air session
with PAPO (Plein Air Painter's of the Ozarks).
So, today I did a dress rehearsal
to make sure I have all of the supplies that
I will need for the paint out.
The weather is supposed to be sunny and in
the 70's. The park we will be painting
is lovely at this time of year. So it
should be a good day of painting and fellowship
with other area artists.

Here is a little history about En Plein Air.

Plein Air (French for "open air") painting became popular
in the early nineteenth century in both
Europe and America when paint manufacturers
made a wide range of pre-mixed oil pigments
available for the first time, and the easily transportable
box easel, or pochade (quick sketch) box,
was developed. Artists could finally take their
work into the field with ease. The artist could, as Monet wrote,
" paint the air in which are situated the bridge, the home, the boat."

These artists paint natural light, using color to define form.
Plein Air artists generally paint "ala prima,"
laying down a scene with quick broad,
colorful brush strokes, foregoing the
typical 'building up' of paint. Depending on the
light and weather, Plein Air paintings are
generally done in one session. Artists often
add final touches to their work once back in the studio.