Transitioning to Spring -- and Coastal Plein-air

Portrait of Kelli, Oil on Binder board, 15 x 20

The painting at left is another product of the three-hour portrait sessions hosted by the well-known Providence artist Kate Huntington on Monday nights.  The model, herself an artist, was amazing in both maintaining and recovering her pose for this session.  Most of the artists at this session end up with a credible likeness, but if you want more finish, more quality in the visual effect, it is probably advisable to bring supports (canvas) no larger than , say, 12x16.   That situation was evident here.  Whereas the likeness, in my opinion, was good, more time was needed to fine-tune hues and soften edges, particularly in shadow edges on and surrounding the face.  Incidentally, I find the binder board (actually made for book coverings) works find in accepting the paint provided it is first gessoed front and back -- preferably at least two coats.

Resting Boat, 8x10, Oil on Board

The oil sketch (8x10) shown here was done on a sunny but rather breezy day .   The fun here was capturing the light and its effect on the still-grey hues of early spring.  The boat itself is not very distinctly delineated and is off to the left.                   The next painting (to the right) was done on the very next day in the same spot .  Here the light was not as strong.  A little more of the shore is shown -- at low tide.        This last oil sketch was done on a 9x12  masonite board.                  

 

Staying Active In and Out of the Snow

The painting shown here is an oil sketch  (15 x 22) on illustration board that I accomplished a couple of weeks ago -- when the cold weather snap had taken a nap.  The purpose here was not so much to complete a painting of the boat on the stancions as to gather factual information for work on a separate canvas in the studio.  I was attracted to the subject by the partial snow cover on the ground as well as to a boat out of the water.  In the "colorless" winter, there is still much one can do with color.

This small (8x10) is an oil sketch done on burlap, accomplished from a sketch I had done in pencil.  The foggy day and the downward viewpoint were the attractions here.  This, like the previous painting, is a Wickford scene.  I have done a few pieces on gessoed burlap.  It takes some struggle to work the brushes over this rough surface, but I think it has potential for the more impressionistic techniques.  From this sketch , and a change of format, I developed a second piece.

This second oil sketch was done on an 11x14 canvas panel.  I  gave the panel an underpainting of a lavender hue and painted into it using wet-on wet brush and palette knife work.  The fog here is seen as a more colorful gray and brings out the other few spots of brilliant color.  The three ducks in the lower right quadrant are not very visible.  Since there is such thick paint on the panel, corrections will have to wait a few more days!

A Week in Winter

Pregnant Model, Oil on Canvas, 16x20

The painting to the left is a portrait done at Kate's Studio Portrait Session painted a week ago.  The painting is, of course, in need of finish in at least a couple of ways.  First the three-hour session did not allow me enough time to completely "cover my tracks", i.e., correct mistakes in drawing and/or color.  (Above the model's painted head color was muddied due to earlier drawing corrections.  Upon the paint drying this error can be corrected easily enough.)  Another indicator of finish is evidence of edge control which is not complete in this case. 
   Although the model posed nude, I chose to focus in the upper third of the figure, featuring her lovely face.

Overcast by Bissel's Cove, Oil on Board, 10x10

The small oil sketch to the left was done on an overcast day.  I was pleased with the general tone that mirrored the tranquility of the place, although further corrections will result from incubation in the studio.  The view looks out to Smith's Castle, a Rhode Island landmark.

In the Village, Oil on Canvas, 12x16

The oil sketch to the left is slightly more developed than the one above, primarily due to the fact that the weather was much more cooperative on this day than the last.  It was a sunny day with temperatures near 50 degrees.  Such days, especially in January are especially welcome to plein-air painters in these parts .  The fingers do not require gloves and, more importantly, observation times can be extended.  Moreover, the light did change but not so radically as I feared it would during this transition from late morning to just after noontime.

Path by the Cove, Oil on Ill. Board, 11x13

To the left is an oil sketch done on illustration board, done plein-air about a day after the previous effort.  I was interested in the play of light emphasized by shadows across the path and by the birches lining the bank of the cove.  Between the trees one can see boats still moored there on this January day.  The day was cold but the sunshine was enough to keep this artist fueled and on task.  The view of the treeline across the cove gave that feel of winter.  I found the scene an absorbing challenge -- and I will be back there when the sun shines again!  Incidentally,  this location is a short walk from the site of the previous painting of Bissel's Cove.

These Unpainterly Times

The abstract-looking mess to the left is an image of an oil sketch I had done yesterday.  It was intended to be a snow study in a park -- you can see that the dark lines represent trees-- but it began to rain!  The small board, about 8 x 10 in in size was fastened to a clip board.  The rain etched its way into the oil sketch in small rivulets , cutting through the block-in I was furiously attempting.  I did admire the etched tangles; if I followed their courses with some fine brushing of an orange- and transparent oxide red, I would have a richly-vined scene reminiscent of a forest interior or at least a thicket.  When I considered the piece in the comfort of the studio, however, I wanted to follow my original intent of showing the majesty of these trees and their soft shadows on the new carpet of snow.

The short-Lived Snow, Oil on Board, 8 x 10

The picture on the left is actually the same board (dried) and worked upon in the studio using memory and a little "artistic license".  One can see in both the original rain-etched abstract as well as the painting on the left, the indication of a stone wall marking the edge of the field.  Also, the placement of the trees is essentially the same.  The additions, not noted in the original is the winding path and the figures in the distance (on the left).    It is always good to work up the studio painting not long after the original plein-air sketch so that the scene is recognizable by people living in the area-- at least that is often my intention.
Here, one correction I will make is the sky.  The color in the original sketch is truer-- less blue, more lavender.

                                                                   As painters, we must forge ahead regardless of the vicissitudes of the New England weather! 

Moving with the Weather

Wickford December, Oil on Canvas on Board, 12x12

  Plein-air painting in New England is certainly a challenge , particularly in winter.  This oil sketch (left) was accomplished two days after the "wintry mix" including a little snow had hit.  I fortunately found a muddy but sheltered spot behind the local library which boasts some of the most scenic views of Wickford I've seen.  On this partly sunny day I spent less than two hours before catching the chill that warns this painter to retreat.  The challenge of the composition was the frontal lighting.  As an impressionist painter I could have resorted to some of the techniques I learned at the Cape Cod School , techniques taught by Henry Hensche, but I was, after all , interested in a study , a study of the patchwork quilt presented by this scene.  Besides, the subject matter was a bit complex for me to employ impressionist techniques of the Cape Cod School effectively.

  The oil sketch to the left was done just yesterday at a small marsh in Wickford.  I tried to indicate the remnants of lingering snow , the cold that hung in the air, and the subdued coloring of winter.  Such a location deserves repeated visits to master its interpretation in any artistic medium.  I left when my fingers became numb on this breezy day.  But I'll be back!

Mums, Oil on Linen, 9x12

Finally when the plein-air artist is forced to remain inside, due to the weather acting up, there is always still life composition.  The same habits are required (squinting to ascertain value structure, comparing values and colors, noting temperature and intensity.)  The limitations are all in the light source.  If we are lucky enough to have north light on our studio subject, we can do the same visual/mental analyses we use when doing plein-air work.  If not, our work is harder.  In any case, it is good to exercise the skills a painter always needs -- such as basic drawing skills.

The New and the Old

The Park, O/C, 6 x 6

The small oil on the left was actually sketched on location at Goddard Park after a snow event last winter.  The scene was never shown to the public since, like most of my plein-air work, it is in need of correction and refinement.  Indoors and after the fact, I can view the work at my leisure to determine whether a "second pass" is in order.   I can see now that I waited too long for an opportunity to go back to this site and begin anew the process of refinement.  At my indoor easel I hope to correct some blunders that are apparent; for example, (1)  a sloping horizon line that is a unsettling to view and (2)  figures that could be better defined, placed, and integrated with the scene.  The danger of revisiting a plein-air scene is always the loss of the initial excitement .  So, even after obvious and not-so-obvious correction, I will need to keep it on the wall to be sure that the painting retains an element of interest before its eventual release to other and (perhaps more critical) eyes.

 This painting (to the left) is a 9x12 Oil on Canvas of the Gilbert Stuart Birthplace in North Kingstown.  Again, this work is a past oil sketch, never framed and shown to the public.  I also see the need for some (minor) corrections, but I do like to preserve the joy of this summer day .  The feeling of the painting is paramount and can only be squelched through overworking.  Incidentally, the Gilbert Stuart Museum includes this property and allows artists to paint any of the subjects on the grounds during an "Artist-in Residence" period each summer.  At the end of the summer the museum offers an art show which helps with funding.  Perhaps this piece may show up on the walls of this show next summer!

Pond by My Door, Oil on Wood, 8x10

And now for the "New".  The painting on the left is a brief (under one hour) oil sketch of the small pond outside my apartment door.  The snow was fresh but fast disappearing as the temperature rose.  The rough sketch shows in the middle ground a white birch reflecting weakly in the pond.  near the foreground there is a fallen tree that provides one edge to the pond.  The foreground shows a large tree adorned with several thick vines.  To add interest there are two geese in the water.  The spot gave me the feeling of a cozy hideaway, made more interesting by the new-fallen snow.  More finish needs to be brought to the distance, among other corrections/ refinements.  Indeed, the sketch is only a few days old and will need more time to "ferment" in the vat of the artist's mind.  Again, I would like to retain as much of the spontaneity as possible since that is part of the joy transmitted by this painting.

Wednesday Afternoon in Wickford

  Weather and other factors permitting, I offer plein-air painting lessons in the scenic village of Wickford, RI, every Wednesday afternoon.  Normally I and my drop-in students park at the lot at the end of Main Street.   The lot has several fishing boats tied up along its edge and a wonderful view of the harbor.  There are still sailboats moored in the harbor and, as the weather worsens (i.e., turns wintry) , the boats will start disappearing.  Yesterday was a winderfully sunny day but with a bite at the edge of the wind.

   So, instead of setting up along the edge of the lot to capture in oil a harbor scene, I decided to offer my drop-in students an opportunity to walk along the more sheltered streets.  Leaving my own car in the lot by the fishing boats, I lugged my gear one block up Main to Bay Street where I set up on a street corner which offered a wonderful view of this old New England Street.  The main attraction was a red house .  Here's a (crooked!) snapshot of the oil sketch:

Off Bay Street (Wickford), Oil on Linen, 8 x 10

The sketch , although small, had its complications compounded by a sun that refused to be consistently strong-- clouds were building up as the afternoon progressed.  At least I have an idea of the corrections I must aim for when I prop the sketch on the studio easel.  But I may actually "bypass" the so-called finishing phase in favor of revisiting the basic elements of composition and design.  I will visit the same scene again, perhaps before next Wednesday to do another sketch.

 

   In any case it was great fun to play with color undisturbed on this rather quiet street in Wickford.