To fully enjoy painting on location you need to have a reasonable level of painting skills before you try to tackle the challenges of plein air. But even with those basic skills plein air is intimidating. So the focus was on planning. Making choices of what to include or eliminate, establishing horizon lines and playing with space division - fore mid and background. All this and more can most easily be learned with pencil and pad.
I think most would advance by sketching on location - making various interpretations of the scene, making a final selection of their composition of choice, taking photos - then returning to the studio to apply the paint under more controlled conditions until they felt comfortable and confident and were properly equipped to complete paintings on location.
As for me, I am spending more and more time simply sketching on location - working to improve my eye and my compositions.
It was a fun weekend. I enjoy the enthusiasm of a group of artists working together and being challenged with new ideas.
My thanks to Island Arts Magazine for organizing the workshop.
Brian, such terrific results, as always, on your classes...
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What great advice Brian. So many times when painting plein air artists are in a hurry to get something on canvas and are so in sensory overload they forget to plan a composition ...thumbnail sketches so important.
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