To practice for my first plein air festival this Saturday in Chestnut Hill, I went out with all of my gear to see if I could paint a 16 x 12 inch painting in one day. What happens at a plein air festival, you ask? Essentially, a few dozen artists will all paint outside at the same time and a judge will award prizes to the best work produced. We will have about 4-5 hours before judging. This sounds like plenty of time, but this painting took me three refills of my parking meter (in all 6 hours) to complete...and I still got a ticket*!!! Lessons learned: paint smaller (or faster) and park in a lot! *Note: Chestnut Hill parking enforcement personnel have a superhuman ability to write tickets the very second your meter expires.
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One adaptation I will happily make to our predictably unpredictable seasonal weather patterns involves being ready for a glorious (65 degree!) outdoor painting day in early February. Yesterday I not only took my morning drawing class outside, I also painted this watercolor en plein air in my backyard in the afternoon. This "business" in my backyard keeps my heart lifted, even during the dark days. For three winters now I have maintained these bird feeders and I've come to think of my regular visitors as my family's outdoor pets since we do see them every day. The birdbath also has special significance for me. It was my grandfather's and I acquired it last year after he passed away. For many years while I was growing up I didn't fully appreciate his dedication to his backyard birds on view through his kitchen and back porch windows. Now I get it. I feel like I am continuing his practice every time I rinse and refill that birdbath. So while yesterday was an unseasonably balmy winter day, today is a snow day. The kids are off from school. I will be doing my bird watching from inside my house. However, I'm keeping my outdoor easel and plein air bag at the ready. One never knows when the next fair weather opportunity will arise. Here's a throwback to 2003 when I lived in Center City with my new husband just before I became a teacher. I painted it on site in the middle of the Ben Franklin Parkway...I feel like the trees there are such a breath of fresh air!
My dear watercolors... we have been on quite a journey together through the decades! "Parkway Perspective" is 6 x 15 inches. Brigantine. A poem. Between the sand and air, time escapes into the infinity of the horizon. This painting of the sea wall at the north end of the island is 5 x 7 inches and I plan to submit it to a show in Doylestown called 40 Art. All artworks will be 5 x 7 inches, unsigned (this is only digitally signed), and available for $40 from July 15-July 17. I can't wait to check it out! My plein air demonstration during a class I taught at the Abington Art Center this morning was quick and monochromatic. The focus was simplification. Simplification in the mist of a chaotic 'first week of summer vacation' for my kids...which includes irregular schedules, blocks of free time, and daily (maybe hourly?) requests for electronics. I required both children to complete a project before watching a show on TV so that I could have time to write this post. I have about 8 minutes left. Then we are off to the dentist. It's just life in the fast lane... John Singer Sargent is a hero of mine, especially for his watercolor paintings. I have a book of them that I have looked at a hundred times and I never grow tired of it. As I (quickly) painted this scene in my yard today, I was reminded of his work. The loose strokes, the high contrast, the reserved whites. It was such a joy to observe the process. I am grateful. Did you spot the white butterfly? It was fluttering around showing me a much-needed lightness of being. I just read that white butterflies can be an omen to keep faith while experiencing transitions. I hear that! "White Butterfly with Annabelle Hydrangea" is 7 x 5 inches. In this lovely nook of the woods stands an art room. An art room lovingly managed by a well-loved teacher. I began this plein air painting because, of course, I'd naturally gravitate toward this area of a campus. (Plus the roof lines are pretty interesting.) However, before I finished, circumstance revealed to me that I had made this painting as a gift to honor that well-loved teacher. Thank you for everything, Mrs. Katona. Berks County, Pa. provided some inspiration this weekend. I found an 18th century barn with this charming little water pump house next to it. This is actually a selection of a larger 8 x 10 inch watercolor painting. I ventured into the smaller space here, I believe, because I am quite inspired by the presentation David Wiesner gave at Wyncote Elementary this morning. His book Mr. Wuffles has a way of bringing us into these smaller spaces where you just might find some unexpected creatures...like miniature aliens befriending some insects! I wonder what cold be happening in the corners of this little portal. I'm on a plein air kick! Thankfully the weather has been cooperating more often than not. This morning I intended to pack up my car and head out to my painting location. However, as I was fine tuning my easel set-up with my husband, this view caught my eye. Sometimes you can find inspiration in your own back yard, literally. "Two Little Birds" is 10 x 8 inches. Today, I took an adventure...a watercolor adventure, that is. I ventured all the way out to Chadds Ford, Pa. I even unwittingly crossed the state line into Delaware while I was lost in the winding hills looking for Kuerner Farmhouse. The Philadelphia Watercolor Society hosted a plein air painting day there today, so I went. This farm is a place that the famed Andrew Wyeth painted many, many times. I'm not sure if he ever worked with this vantage point though. Can you spot the PWS members working merrily away? It was a bit of a reconnaissance mission since I am teaching a plein air painting class at the Abington Art Center this summer. Info here. I worked out a few kinks and now have my system back up and running! This painting is larger than most of my other weekly posts. "Kuerner Farm" is 8 x 10 inches and I can't believe that 3 whole hours passed while I was working on it...time flies! |
Little Bee:
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