The weather this morning was just perfect for painting.  The temperature was a perfect 70deg F, there was no wind and the sun was bright and crisp.

After dropping my daughter off for band practice I headed to Bethany Park and it was such a treat.  I spent slightly over an hour to complete this painting, the time whizzed by.  This painting could be further improved,… but I have left it, to show my first response on the canvas.

Oil (5″ x 7″)

Sat. Morning at the Park

For my artist friends:  The setup is a Guerilla Pochade box and once again I am using a limited pallete, Alizarin Crimson, Ultramarine Blue, Titanium White,  Cad Yellow, Yellow Ochre and Burnt Sienna. I believe in color harmony so my mother color was Yellow Ochre.

Plein Air painting forces you to simplify and think big, because the light changes rapidly and you have to hurry and think quick.  I think in the long run it will help you with your portraits and still life’s. Note the foldable palette in the last picture, below, I squeeze my paint into this and it is air tight, therefore my paint does not dry for a while and I don’t have to lug all my paint tubes.

These strangers were kind enough to pose for me (30 minute sketches),…, Off course they did not know of their participation.

Every new face is like an exciting new novel,…, always thrilling to the very end.

This is an imaginary landscape, inspired from other works of art.  It took 3 hours too complete and is small for a landscape: 5″x 7″.

For my artist friends:- As usual, I used a limited palette: Burnt Umber, Titanium White, Ultramarine Blue, Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Yellow.  It was done on Oil Primed Linen panel (5″x7″).  My focus was values, temperature and edges.  I am beginning to see that to hold a painting together these are the three key ingredients.

A Landscape