Plein Air Painting In Quiet Fields

Today I took myself out and ventured into plein air painting. In truth, I have been going out to paint at least once a week lately, and I am absolutely loving it. I am seeing real progress, and it feels good. Years went by with no plein air action at all, and enough is enough. I can’t keep the easel, brushes, and palette locked up in the studio anymore.

Of course, getting out the door is never easy. Packing everything up, making sure all the gear is ready, double-checking that I didn’t forget something crucial for a good outing. That part is always a challenge. Then comes the next big struggle: finding the composition.

Lately, pre-planning and choosing a specific site in advance has helped a lot. But for this outing, I simply walked out of the house. I kept walking, thinking about painting this or that, and then I turned around. That was it. The spot. The neighbor’s field, looking back toward the house. I didn’t have to go far this time.

The composition revealed itself naturally: the house sitting in the upper center, mountains in the background, and a wide field in the foreground with an interesting play of light and shadow. The house was small within the composition, so there was no need to get bogged down in details. Just paint and go.

This was a fun session. I painted on a pre-painted MDF surface with an oil blue-gray base, which really helped absorb the fresh paint. The painting took no more than 40 minutes, and I am always amazed how sometimes I can struggle endlessly on a painting, while with others the time simply flies by. This one was pure ease and perfect flow. No struggle at all. And that felt great.

I hope you enjoyed this first quick blog post. I look forward to writing more of these, and I’ll see you next time.

Martin

Found Without Searching, oil on canvas 8x10 in

“Sometimes the best painting happens when you simply turn around and realize you never had to go far.”