Enjoy The Moment

Hey! Hey! Say The Geese

Indian Summer Rocks I  8x10

The last few weeks have been gorgeous, sunny blue skies with temps in the 70s. Ohh how wonderful! Each week I have been taking a morning and plein air painting. The beautiful weather has helped me attain a meditative and positive mindset. And piqued my curiosity about Landscape Painting.

When I plein air paint, I give myself permission to paint without a purpose. I enjoy the time outside and often have to pause and reflect on nature's beauty. I find that I do not need music as the breeze in the trees and the geese honking creates a soundtrack. Each time I go to the farm there is one goose who flies by, lands on the pond all the while honking out to his fellow geese "Hey Hey Follow Me!" Silly Goose!

Indian Summer Rocks II  8x10

Plein Air painting is freeing. I enjoy finding shapes and laying down expressive brushwork.

Only once home to I allow myself to deal with my questions about plein air painting. I note the questions and try to research them via Google. I also ask my experienced art friends my questions. Recently I have purchased my new favorite book - Oil Painting With Light & Color by Kevin Macpherson - a fantastic resource! I know in time I will develop and become better En Plein Air.

Some questions I have asked:

How do I paint the light?
What greens do I use for sunlight verses cloudy day?
What greens do I use?
How do I paint sunlight?
How should I start a painting?
Lay in shapes? Lay in darks then lights?

Hey! Hey!

Ode to Permanent Rose

A Much Needed Palette Color!

Blooming Rose
Permanent Rose used for hat, rose, cheeks & pillow

Every painter has a preferred color palette. There are simple palettes and there are complex palettes. Most artists will agree that you can mix many colors from the primary colors and white, you don't need tubes and tubes of colors. For example, many delicious greens can be mixed with blue, yellow and a touch of red. Additionally, yellow mixed with red makes gorgeous oranges. There are so many color possibilities that when painting I rarely use a tubes of green OR orange. 

However, getting a lovely pink hue is another story. Adding red to white paint does not result in a beautiful pink! Typically it results in a washed out red-ish (because most whites lean toward blue, the red color gets dulled down). So, I asked my artist friends what color they choose for luscious pinks! From oil painters I got two answers: Quincidrone Rose and Permanent Rose. Very specifically, Windsor & Newton Permanent Rose was strongly suggested. 

I do need to point out that Alizarin Crimson is part of my color palette. However, it also is does not mix with white for a perfect pink. Alizarin Crimson is a dark hue that some artists call "dirty". I love it and mix it often with my darks, but when you add white (which has a lot of blue) it remains dull, lacking vibrancy.

I went out and found the Windsor & Newton Permanent Rose (typically for me it is cheaper to buy paint online but if I need just one tube I take a coupon to Hobby Lobby or Michaels). Once I purchased the Permanent Rose I began to use it often! I hadn't realized how much I needed this color in my palette. In addition to using this color more, it has brought me luck as 2 recent paintings (in which I used Permanent Rose) were juried into art shows! 

The Dude  9x12

Tell Mama 12x16

Ahh Pink, a necessary color when painting portraits and my new color love! Permanent Rose background mouth and cheeks for The Dude painting. Permanent Rose for Tell Mama headband and shirt (a bit in the skin tone too)!