Weather was perfect when we set up our plein air easels early in the morning! Had my Venice class meet in the dunes, much better than painting in a classroom. We did our Notan sketches, black and white thumbnails indicating where the darks and lights would be, and a brief idea of composition. We painted these plans with yellow ochre on our panels, then massed in general color areas which we smudged with a paper towel and lifted out lights. We considered where our darkest darks and lightest lights would be.
Just as we were applying the first thick juicy, final layer brushstrokes... my painting umbrella flew off. (Fortunately, it was attached with an elastic cord and I only needed to haul it back. Once again, my Artwork Essentials new improved umbrella proved it's worth by not taking my easel with it! I really recommend this umbrella, best I've ever used. Check it out on their site.)
We held onto our easels as sand stung our eyes. We held on as long as we could applying a few more gutsy brush stokes as the blustery wind gusts blasted us and shook our panels. The light, the clouds, everything changed in minutes! We took snapshots and left to finish in the comfort of our studios. After all, we had collected color notes and enough sand in our paint to create sincere impressions of the morning!
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