Plein Air Painting

 On Friday I had the opportunity to go out and paint en plein air. There is an old home with beautiful red brick that I have been wanting to paint for a while. I had 2 hours before I needed to pick up my daughter from school. My goal was to complete a painting within the two hours, to save the whites, and work on my composition.  Their is a park with big trees across from the house, I found one with a good view of the house that allowed me to stay shaded while painting. Shade is KEY when plein air painting.

 The light and shadows were perfect, I was really hoping to get this painting done in the 2 hours I had. Most of my other plein air paintings have taken me at least three hours. With eagerness, I started by sketching out the house.  When completed I dove into painting, trying to capture the beauty of this home and the day. It was sunny but not too hot, which made things easier not having my paint dry too quickly.

 I truly enjoyed every minute. I really felt like I captured the feeling of the day, and completed the painting in less than the 2 hours!! Whooo hooo!!!

Painting in the Studio

 I wanted to turn this study into a painting. Having captured the feeling I wanted from this painting. I now could focus more on the details and structure of the home. Adding feeling from the first painting.

 You must paint quickly when painting from life, capturing the mood and feeling of the day. This really helped my process back in the studio. Have a look while painting the accents on the brick wall.

 Each painting session was simplified and focused. While painting en plein air I could edit out what I didn’t want to form my composition. I was in the moment seeing and feeling what I wanted out of my painting. So when I went back to my studio I could focus more on the structure, and my pallet. 

Clic here to see Old Brick Home in the gallery!