On the Easel / Painting Outdoors with a Mini-Class

Weeds

Why don't we go out into the garden and eat worms? A weed for you for exam time and crunch time in our too-cold New England Spring. This little plein air painting that had me focusing on the ground instead of the marvelous vistas of mostly urban landscape. A 20 minute weed of sorts, the little bugger grows next to the driveway and has come to dominate the grass. I am pleased with its speed and silliness. I hope to make more messy little paintings of our funny urban tundra.

What's on my travel easel?

I set up next to the American Falls on the Ontario side and had a 5 hour day working on a casual little underpainting. Here's my mini study of the icon.

Painting in the Forest!!!

Yvonne, Clare, and I went to the woods in Waltham and painted. It was wonderful! There was a felled tree, pine needles everywhere, a whole bunch of people walking dogs, and a big PILE of tree limbs. I was enamored of the pile of tree limbs with stumps arrayed around it. I felt it implied narrative. I have been looking for a way to lay my characters and objects in a scene, this may be it. Plein air paintings as studies for far stranger compositions in studio? We will see. I will keep posting some of these breaks from the routine. Interestingly enough, my limited palette persists in odd form out of doors!