Let the paint-outs begin! My
first paint-out of the season, and my first ever, was with PAWA (Plein
Air Washington Artists) at the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National
Wildlife Refuge in Nisqually, WA. The refuge is a 3 and 1/2 hour drive
from my house, one way. I left my house at 6 am. and returned at 10 pm.
It was a long day but totally worth it. I painted at a beautiful spot
and got to meet a few people.
I am used to wetlands but this time of year the
refuge is full of migratory birds, local birds, and birdwatchers from
around the world. Yesterday there were plein air painters out there too.
When I arrived, I poked around a tiny bit looking for people with
painting gear. I am new to the group so I didn't know anyone. I did see a
few folks with what looked liked painting gear heading out here and
there. I grabbed mine and found a spot, out of thousands, to paint.
Looking toward Puget Sound the Olympic Mountains were showing in all
their glowing glory. I decided to try for a grand vista with the
mountains in the background. I was glad I took a few minutes to prepare a
preliminary sketch as the clouds were moving in. I also painted the
mountains and sky in right away since I knew it would be changing fast.
Here is a view of my easel and a bit of a view of my surroundings:
I was out of
step with most of the group so I missed the lunch gathering while
finishing up the painting. Fortunately, I wasn't the only one so I got
to eat lunch and chat with another artist. After eating, I headed back
to another spot that I had noticed when walking to the car for lunch. I
loved the colors of the spring growth on the distant trees. They were
nicely framed by the dark, evergreen trees behind and the water-logged
grasses in front. I had several Canada geese keeping me company.
You can see a pair of geese in the distant upper left hand corner. They actually spent most of the time a few feet from me.
Looking the other way are a pair of beautiful old barns. I was sorely tempted to paint them too. Perhaps another time.
Finally, a
closeup of the final afternoon painting. Both paintings will need a bit
of work in the studio before I would pronounce them finished. I will
probably keep both for studies for now. This week the sun will be coming
out again. At least, that is what the weather app reports. I am
continuing to work on skills in the studio: drawing, brushwork, values,
composition, still life, and painting faster.
In two
weeks, I will be heading out to the John Day Fossil Beds National
Monument with PAPO. I am looking forward to painting there and meeting
more people!
-Renee
4 comments:
Nice Renee!My Friday painting time with the local plein air group is one of the highlights of my week!
Thanks Theresa, I am glad to hear that you have a local group to paint with! All of these plein air groups are far away so I won't get to paint with them weekly but I am happy that I will be getting a session in about once a month between the two groups. Perhaps one day I can put together my own local group. I have yet to find anyone nearby that wants to get out to the beaches to paint or has the time to make it a regular meeting. Then again, perhaps I just need to do it (and they will come?).
Thanks for the comment!
-Renee
How fun! The paintings look wonderful. It is too bad that these things are so far from home for you. That does make for a long day.
Hi Theresa and thanks! I have a plan for these long distant paintouts that have to do with camping in my car. It will be an adventure! It will also be fun to share it all on the blog.
-Cheers!
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