The Right Approach to Plein Air Painting?
How often do we analyze the way we approach something that we do daily? Even our simple systems that we have in place like organizing our house or getting our errands done or prioritizing what’s important?
The way I go about starting and then working through a painting can vary depending on the subject matter, but mostly it is the same. I never really question it.
I start by making a little loose drawing with a brush and a transparent color, outlining where I want the objects or spaces to be in the painting. And without too much more thought than that I start laying down light and dark colors side by side.
Entrance to Parco delle Energie
Oil on Panel
20 x 25 cm
Today I thought to try something new, another approach and to just think about blocks of shape and values. (values being how light to dark something is on the gray-scale).
It was challenging! It was fun! It was a much more organic way of creating this painting, almost like putting together the pieces of a puzzle .
This month I’m on a mission to make some discoveries, any discoveries about my work. I’m trying to think about my approach, how I put the paint down and how I look at what I’m painting. I’m wanting to grow and approach the next level, even if I’m not quite sure what that is or how to get there.
This is the benefit of working daily. The sheer repetition and immersion of doing the same activity, but scrutinizing it is bound to yield some new discoveries. Isn’t it?