Town & Country Plein Air

 It's good to become familiar with your subject if time allows. I see this scene every day. It is the backyard of ACME Art Studios where I have my studio as well as 19 other artists. The subject here is the studio of  painter Trey Moore. I have painted this scene before in ink and watercolor. I simply enjoy the angles and the turquoise doors are too tempting. I prefer to work on stained canvas or board in either ochre or gray. After sketching out the subject I then block out large shapes. After that it's all detail and going back and forth with darks and lights. I have a palette that comes with my French Easel but I prefer to work on the disposable white palette where my colors don't get lost as much and the larger size suits me better. I have a bag which carries my brushes, rags, a hoody if it gets cold and little odds and ends like pliers, tape, thinner  etc.,  It was a beautiful morning to get out and paint.   

 Cloudy day and limited time. This was done on a burnt sienna stained plywood panel measuring 11x14. This is a view from our front porch and was painted and finished before the sun totally disappeared .  

Painted on primed illustration board                 Had trouble trying to capture that green and did some editing of course. So far everything I have painted plein air has been done between one and a half to two hours max.  Walking away is a hard motto to adopt but outside conditions dictate in a more direct manner.  I have taken an interest painting Plein Air and wanted to start this blog to keep a record and to share this new adventure. Shown here are two paintings I did about five days apart from each other.  Both were painted in the Brooklyn Arts District in Wilmington, NC where my studio is located. Light is always the master and can change in the blink of an eye it seems. Just trying to get the big shapes down before things get too crazy.  Top: "Manicure" oil on canvas 12x16 Bottom: "View from the Studio Lot" oil on wood panel 10x10