Sunday View, 8x10" oil, Diane Mannion
Polished Plein Air
Only spent a few minutes slashing out a quick impression last Sunday. Wanted to take it further back in the studio.
Here I am painting this view, hanging onto the umbrella in gusty winds.
(Thanks for the photo, Jane Sither).
This is what I came home with but wanted to say much more. Blotted with paper towel to remove excess paint and let it dry for a few days before working over.
I had been dazzled by the orange-red sun burning through the sea grape leaves and how the Gulf sparkled bright and green through the dark foreground. Loved the relation between the three palms, foreground, middle ground, and distance one. My sketch needed to be pushed further. Photo ref didn't do this scene justice, had to rely on memory and imagination.
Most difficult part was keeping it simple, there's such a temptation to paint every leaf, had to hold the masses together. Every painting's a struggle, but I think I learned something from this exercise that will help me next time out in the field (beach).
Hasty thumbnail sketch! Left out the figure on the right standing next to the surf.
Hmmm… would it be a better painting if I added him?
Sometimes, you just have to stop and move onto the next.
2 comments:
Very nice. I just happened upon your work while searching for Caspersen Beach artists. I was just there during the first week of April with my children on their spring break. I painted one morning with the Peace River Painters. I'm an artist in Kentucky, but we come down there every year and I love painting around Venice and Nokomis. Hopefully more often once the kids get out on their own. I have enjoyed discovering your work.
Thanks, Todd! I hope we get to paint together next time you're down here. I often paint with the Peace River Painters, also the Light Chasers… whenever a group is painting nearby. I also have a motley group of Sunday Painters that get together once in a while. Paint away, Todd!
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