Excitement of Plein Air

Painting Outdoors is a very exciting challenge. I remember a few years ago thinking that I would always be a studio oil painter. Hearing experts say that the best way to evolve your oil paintings for the better is to paint Plein Air. I believed them, but had no plans to start. Upon further review... I have started and it has to be one of the best hobbies ever. A cool wooden box and tripod. Surveying the potential landscapes and the decisiveness you must have to narrow it to one particular scene in the landscape and then figure out how you will crop it. The quick layout of that crop. The serenity of being alone in nature. The rapid pace that you work at in order to take in all that the scene offers before the lighting changes. Deciding when you are finished. And leaving with a great souvenir that will last forever and be a great start/sample if you choose to paint something larger of the same scene. How many millions of color combinations exist in Nature? I hope to narrow that down month by month over the years and find new colors to put up on canvas. Here are Plein Airs number 9 and 10. Buoys await at Lake Tahoe

A view of Pacific Grove, CA

Cheers... Josh Smith