Blog

I’ve been thinking about studio painting and plein air painting lately, the merits of each, as I haven’t been able to paint outside as often as I’d like lately.  If you love nature and have a visual memory of places, skies, water, light on water, grass, rocks, sunrises, sunsets...allow those life experiences to become real again in your mind as you get ideas for studio painting from your photos.  These memories and thoughts will enhance your interpretation inspired by the various photos you’ve chosen. Work on underpaintings as guides, developing shapes, values, edges, focal points, then allow the remembrance to emerge on the canvas or paper in front of you.  I work a lot in soft pastel, and find this layering up from underpainting a journey that gets me completely in the “zone” as I paint. Mistakes can be brushed off. Shadows of the brushed off forms can inspire new elements in your painting.

    I developed “View from the Shore” in this manner.  The movement of water, waves, foam, and light reflection are guided by the photo, but the mind and heart’s memories bring nuance and possibilities to the painting.  A beautiful experience of nature can emerge in one’s own studio!