What's Red and White and Found in the Fall?

 I've been outside painting several times this week. Twice at the West Dyke in Richmond near Vancouver, only 30 minutes by car from my house.


Saturday I painted in a spot with all these mushrooms (amanita muscaria). The ones that make you taller and make you smaller.

 I found the spot last time I was prowling round in the bird sancturary area on the dyke and came upon this little camp site that people seem to use.  I set up my kit and chair in the mud.

Behind me the dyke looked like this.

And the sky looked like this

In front of me the earth looked like this.

There were bits of cardboard laid down like in a homeless camp.

In front of the fire pit I laid everything out

These are the two little paintings I came home with.  They still need more work as they don't look even as finished in real life as the do on the computer.  I find the computer image good for this sometimes  ..showing me what a painting needs.

 I like them. They are focused in on, kind of funny, a little discovery.

Before and After: The Subject and its Painting

The mystery of painting has taken hold of me.  It's the thing I loved from the moment I discovered painting, how when I just let go and let paint all was well.  I do it, work hard at it, I let it go.   The new little paintings were finally dry enough to scan, though not dry enough to mail so I'm not posting them to my sales blog for a few days at least.  I took two painting day trips in the past 10 days and two days prior to reconnoiter painting spots. One to Buntzen Lake and one to Boundary Bay's bird sanctuary.

They were two great days and I made five tiny 4 x 6" paintings in those two days.  I'm going to post them *all* here in the spirit of full disclosure.  I don't claim them as good, they are just what they are and I will think about them for a while before before deciding what's what with them.

I don't choose the most promising and visually impactful views to paint, just things that get my blood going that I want to work from.  Often the paintings don't turn out at all like what I'm sitting in front of and even when they catch the spirit of it there's a lot left out or added or both.  This is not a view, it's a painting.

So here goes, I'm going to post a very quickly taken photo of the inspiration to paint and a photo of the painting that resulted from it.

This first photo is of what I was sitting in front of when I painted the piece below it, partly from the view, partly from the feel and memory I have of the Boundary Bay Sanctuary.

The dark forest floor often stops me in my tracks and I just did what I could with this little mess.

The painting below the photo is far different from it's provoking scene

 

 This little tree is hardly close to the painting below it.

Here is the stump and tree hidden in the dark that ended up in the painting below the photo.  The colours were much warmer than the photo shows though.

I have, perhaps in my ignorance, always thought of plein air painting as having to be done with faithfulness to the subject, to the light, the time of day and on and on.  All I know now is that these paintings would not be the same and the experience of making them would not be the same without sitting outside looking at what I'm inspired to paint.

Some of these will be posted to my sales page soon.

Painting Out Doors: How I Do It.

Salal

This summer I finally got myself outside to paint, something I wanted to do for a long time, but, for various reasons, felt intimidated. One thing standing in my way was logistics.  I didn't want to stand at a (heavy) easel in a field, or lug huge canvasses about. I wanted something light and portable and  intimate.  Finally, I decided I could make really small paintings.  I got some 4 x 6" pieces of water media paper, painted them with acrylic and taped them on to some 9 x 12" pieces of cardboard with rolled (to make them double sided) pieces of drafting tape.  Then I went to the art supply store and bought a 11 x 16" plastic carrying case


My first painting trip was a car camping road trip.  The next was last week, I went to a spot I camped in this spring and reconnoitered to find good painting places.  I carried in all my gear for two nights including my painting kit. The little painting above is the first I did on this trip. At the bottom of the post I posted two more pieces completed on this trip.

Above is what my painting kit looks like when I'm working. The brushes and water container are out of the picture, on the ground at this point, as are the two pieces of cardboard with the prepared water media paper taped to them.


In the photo above you can see:
a bamboo place mat for rolling the brushes in
latex gloves (which I hardly ever wear!)
a bottle of media for water mixable oils
a towel cloth to thoroughly dry the brushes after dipping in water (I don't like too much water on the brushes)
water mixable oils. I use both Artisan and Cobra
not shown is the roll of masking tape used for taping the paintings into the case for carrying out when they are wet (see below)

The colours are the very basic pallet:
permanent yellow medium
permanent yellow light
lemon yellow
alizaron crimson
pyrrol red light
permanent green deep
dioxazine purple
french ultramarine blue
phthalo blue (red shade)
raw umber
burnt umber
burnt sienna
Titanium white

The rest of the kit is here:

a second cloth for wiping
only 5 small brushes
I use an old Stevenson's paint tub for water
a small bottle of medium for water mixable oils  decanted into a little plastic container with lid
 two painting knives
one of the two pieces of cardboard with the prepped paper taped to it


I use a disposable palette when I am painting outdoors because It makes it easier for me than cleaning up a palette at the end of a session.  I am considering how to take little containers for left over paint so that I don't waste it.


I prepare four 4 x 6" pieces of water media paper by painting with acrylic paint before I leave home.  I choose the colours at random, whatever I'm in the mood for on the day of prepping.  I already have pre-cut paper on hand, these were a gift from my sister and make grabbing and going so much easier.


This is the very light weight stool I use.

Here are the paintings taped into the case for carrying home after they are done. At the end of my session and the trip I put all my supplies in a plastic bag for carrying out in my backpack so that I can use the case for carrying the paintings taped like so. This way that they don't get smeared.

There it is, easy peasy. Next, perhaps, city park plein air.

Here, and at the top of the page, are photos of the 3 paintings I didn't turn to mush by trying too hard, My strategy is, do what I want, anything I want, have a good time, keep it rough, fresh and simple, let it go.  I don't fuss over subject matter, I paint anything that grabs me. I try to see the composition in the environment and just take the painting anywhere I want and can as I work.
 

Bluff

The Other Side of the Cove

I still have trouble working with people around. I try to sit a little off to the side so that anyone passing will realize I'm working and might not want to chat. This works for the most part, or at least not everybody will insist on interacting.  I would like to get over this, actually and I'm working on it.

This shyness I have has been the main reason I haven't painted outside until now, I intend to deal with it.  This last trip I deliberately chose a place that would have some foot traffic at times so that I could learn to feel less intimidated to work in front of others.  And, it worked, I am feeling I could actually set up in a city park, maybe, next time.

What has been your experience with painting outside.  Are you shy?  Do you like to see people out painting? What is your reaction.  I think it's normal to be curious.  I know I am when I come across someone making art in public.

You can now Buy my Small Works Online

I've set up a new Sales Page of Small Works just in time for holiday shopping. Support the arts by buying from artists whose work you like. And, when you shop online you don't have to risk those intimidating art galleries. If you buy art online no tedious malls and all their noise and consumer pressure.

The first person to buy a painting from my new sales page will receive a second piece, of their choice, at HALF PRICE.    Please pop over there and have a look.

You can view and buy larger works from my online page here or through my website.

Lately I've been busy painting outside and will be uploading more work to the small works blog and painting new small works as well as some larger pieces in the studio. Next entry will be about my latest foray into plein air painting.