After the William Turman Plein Air Event at the Swope Art Musem in Terre Haute in June 2024, I and a couple of other participants decided to go out painting more regularly.
Since the last half of August we have been going to local parks almost every week on a Friday morning. We found a good routine was to go to the same site two weeks in a row, sometimes to finish a painting, sometimes to explore a new idea that came up the previous week.
Here are two paintings from the first week, August 23, 2024:
Wabash River, Fairbanks Park, looking south. 9 x 12 ins, oil on hard board
Then I tried part of the same scene with a palette knife, on a smaller board:
Wabash River, Fairbanks Park, looking south. 8 x 8 ins, DaVinci board
And I started a painting of the river facing north, using oil crayons as an underlayer ‘drawing’:
Courthouse from the ISU campus, 9×12 ins, oil on linen canvas
On June 13-16, 2024 I took part in the second Plein Air Event in Terre Haute. This year we were allowed 10 blank canvases, up from 5 last year. I could not manage to paint 10! I ended up with 5 paintings.
I decided to have the Courthouse as my focal point this year, painting it from different directions at different times of day.
Thumbnails on the first morning, from the N EastFirst block inAnother viewDetail, oil on linen canvas boardFinished on the second morningHow I kept the sun off my palette
I decided to try this view again on Gessobord, so I went back later on the second day to block in the shapes, and then returned on the morning of the third day to finish it.
This view received an Award of Recognition!
I also painted to the west of the Courthouse, at Dewey Point at the Wabashiki wetland, over two evenings:
The view across the Wabashiki Wetlands to the Courthouse, and a poor photo of my painting of it. I had lots of fun interactions with people at this spot, I was in a hurry to go to the next spot to finish painting there, and forgot to photo any of the painting process!
My third location was in Fairbanks Bank, on the banks of the Wabash River, but this year I turned my attention to the Courthouse instead of the river. I painted two paintings from slightly different locations.
Unfortunately, I also forgot to take progress photos here, and this is not a clear photo. I like this composition, and I was happy with my use of greens, and the brushwork. The top 3 photos are from the 1st visit—a beautiful calm, quiet evening; I painted the ‘block-in’ (first layers of colors). I felt I was getting into my stride.The last photo here is a poor representation; I was hurrying out of the door to get them all delivered to the collection point.
When I returned to complete it the next evening, lots of people started arriving for a family concert (a local Wind Band) playing in the Amphitheater! I had not expected this, and it was a very different atmosphere! It turned out to be really fun. Lots of people stopped to look at what I was doing and make comments, or tell me their story; children were especially vocal and engaged. A girl told me she loved my painting and it ought to be in an art museum, and then she picked a clover and gave it to me as my award! Beautiful experiences!
This painting was awarded First Place in Oil Painting at the Wabash Valley Art Guild Spring Show in May 2024.
I took the photo 3 weeks after she had been bitten in the face by a dog, in which she lost part of her lower lip and now had a significant scar down her chin. She was five at the time, and has been a real trooper about the ordeal.
I think the painting was my own therapy, to celebrate her continued beauty and character even after such an unpleasant event.
(I wrote this post earlier this year, but then did not want to publish it, as my mum was declining. Now that she is gone, I feel I can honor her by publishing it. She liked the painting and had a print of it made and kept it in her kitchen).
I miss her. This painting brings me good memories.
Oil on Canvas Panel, 16 x 20 ins
This is a painting of someone very dear to me. She was widowed at age 74, survived a lymphoma at age 79, and here in this painting at 86 is still living a brave, determined and out-ward focused life.
The painting won First Place in Oil Painting at the Wabash Valley Art Guild Spring Show this year.
(I wrote this a couple of months ago, but a lot of October and November has been taken up with the end of life of my mother. She has now passed away, and I’m attempting to return to my ‘usual’ practices).
Following on from the Mastering Composition Course (Ian Roberts) which I took in January-March 2023, I then signed up for the Bold Brushwork Course (April-June). This was only open to people who had taken part in the Mastering Composition Course.
The first lessons and exercises were to practice value scales, edge scales and gradations in paint—(Ivory black and Titanium White). Most students used oil paint, although some used acrylic, watercolor, gouache, or pastel.
Then we painted compositions in black and white, concentrating on values, shapes, and edges, using a ‘Paint It and Leave it’ approach.
The next step was to consider color temperature, and to do this we added yellow ochre to the palette to indicate warm light, and used the ivory black to indicate cool light. (Our paintings were limited to warm light and cool shadow situations for the learning purpose).
In the final part of the course, we added an extra color dimension and used Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Orange and Titanium White. Now there was more intensity to deal with, either to mute or to use in small amounts as an accent.
It was a very rewarding course. I felt I improved at putting on thick paint and ‘one touch’ brushstrokes, and gained a much better understanding of color temperature.
Oil on canvas panel, 16 x 20 insThe photo I took of her wearing the dress I bought for her.Full size pencil investigationSmall color studyPencil outline (fixed) on a toned canvasBistre underpainting—burnt umber and a lean mixture of mediumGrisaille underpainting (over the bistre)Section of the finished grisaille viewed through a values app.
After painting ‘Katherine in Grey’ I decided to try a full color painting using a grisaille underpainting. I bought an online class to help me—Oil Painting Portrait Glazing class by Will Kemp.
For all of the figure and dress I used two simple triads of colors—Mars Yellow, Chinese Vermillion, and Turquoise light, all by Sennelier, plus Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Umber and Titanium White by Geneva Fine Art.
I enjoyed the process of all the steps and layers. Maybe I’ll try it again!
After doing some underpaintings in Black and white (and gray!) I started this one of Katherine. I used an app called Value Study to get the basic idea. The background is a light layer of burnt sienna.
I was planning to paint color layers over it, but so many people said they like it as it is that I left it!
My vantage point to paint the White Chapel. On the first session out, 6/22, I did not think to include my easel in the photo.Sunset at Fairbanks Park, 6/22Le Fer Lake, St. Mary of the Woods College, 6/23Deming Park, 6/23Dobbs Park, 6/24All five paintings framed, ready to deliver.
This Plein Air competition, the first of its kind in Terre Haute, was run by the Swope Art Museum and the Indiana Plein Air Painter’s Association, 6/22-6/24, 2023.
I have not done much plein air painting, but was keen to join in because I thought it was an encouragement to do more, and support this community event.
All participants had to present their blank canvases (max #5) to the Swope Art Museum for a stamp on the back to verify it was blank.
I was delighted to find that my painting of the White Chapel was given an Award of Recognition!
The winning paintings from the event (including this one) are on display at the Swope Art Museum from July 14-Aug 19, and all others painted over those 3 days are on display at the Arts Illiana Gallery for the same time period.
This Spring I had three paintings accepted for the ‘Spring’ (any interpretation) Show at the Arts Illiana Gallery. I was particularly happy that my painting ‘A Spring in Her Step’ was juried in.
This is a re-painting I did recently of an earlier painting which was in a smaller format. It is my mother and daughter striding out across the hills and fields while taking the dog for a walk.
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