Indian Lake Park

8x8 oil on panel

Painted in the studio from photos I took yesterday at Indian Lake.

First Plein Air Outing for 2015

Indian Lake Park

6 x 9 

10 x 16

 Yesterday the temperature was supposed to be 35 F but at Indian Lake with an approx 20 mph wind it was definitely colder.  The problem with pastels is that when it is cold it is like painting with ice cubes and you can't wear gloves.  Still it makes me work faster which often is a plus.  I stayed near my car so I could warm up before my fingers got frostbitten.  Love those heated seats! It was fun, though and as the sun went down the wind dropped so I took a nice walk and got some good reference photos to work from. I felt pretty pleased to have my first plein air session of 2015 done by mid January.  I am awaiting delivery of my new Open Box M oil paint box.  At least you can wear gloves when oil painting! Tom Gilbert said he got out yesterday, too so I hope he'll post his painting. All DCPAPA painters are welcome to email any winter paintings (they don't need to have been painted outdoors) to me or Tom and we will happily post them on the blog.

Front Seat Painting

Because it is much too cold to paint outdoors I decided to paint from a watercolor sketch I painted last year (sitting in my car) along the Wisconsin River near Sauk City.  I was out looking for eagles.  My camera does not photograph the colors accurately for oil paint.  (Does anyone know why this is?) This does not seem to happen as much with pastels or watercolor.  Neither oil painting is as successful as the watercolor sketch.  Partly I guess because I am not painting from life as I was for the sketch. But it was an interesting exercise and I remembered sitting in the car and painting very clearly.  It always amazes me how drawing and painting from life fixes places and experiences in our memory so well.  Also pictured is my "new" palette that I made by taping a 16x20 inch piece of glass to a larger piece of plexiglas with a sheet of grey paper in between.  I was using disposable palette paper but I like this much better. 

Virtual Paint Out

Here's some possible help for getting through the winter ... a virtual substitute for plein air painting. I've added a link labeled "Virtual Paint Out" (see right side column) that goes to a blog created by the painter Bill Guffey.  Every month Bill provides a location for painting.  This month it's Philadelphia. Last month it was Rome, Italy.  Participants can then go to Google Earth and use the Street View feature to find a scene to paint.  Paintings can then be submitted to Bill Guffey and he posts them on his blog.

Obviously it's not the same as actual plein air painting but I found it fun.  I did do a Rome painting (with Roman ruins in it, of course) and I'm currently working on a painting of the downtown Philadelphia skyline.  Check out Bill's blog for a more detailed explanation and instructions.

I haven't got out for snow painting quite yet (this coming week may be promising) but I did recently re-paint an old painting and am posting it below.  This is the Rutledge Street bridge across the Yahara River in Madison.

Tom Gilbert