Plein Air | The Studio

Archive for the ‘Plein Air’ Category

Road to the Shenandoah

Posted in Landscape, Plein Air, Travel, tagged Landscape, Shenandoah River State Park on July 13, 2015| 3 Comments »

I painted this one yesterday as I enjoyed my vacation at the Shenandoah River State Park. Beautiful here. Can’t wait to paint more.

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Painting in Plein Air

Posted in Plein Air, Workshop/Retreat, tagged Dickey RIdge, Plein Air, Shenandoah National Park on June 4, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Catherine and Kelly painting at the workshop

The view and my start on the painting

Gretchen at work

The view we painted

Painting in Plein Air is my favorite way to paint and I don’t get to do it as often as I would like. Last Saturday we had a Plein Air workshop at Dickey RIdge Visitor Center in the Shenandoah National Park. It was a wonderful morning….cool in the morning but then the sun peaked out and the view was fabulous.

The term “plein air” was used to describe Claude Monet and the Impressionists in France. In French it means “open air” or “outside,” but since Monet’s time the term has been used to describe people who take their easels outdoors to paint. Plein air painting is for people who love to be outdoors in nature, people who love to paint landscapes (as well as other outdoor subjects like buildings, old barns, flowers, gardens, etc).

The colors and detail you can see while painting outdoors is so much more vivid than you see when painting from photos. And where we live there are so many lovely scenes to paint…the mountains, the valley, the Shenandoah and so much more. (Click here and here to see other plein air painting session.)

We will hold another Plein Air workshop this fall so if you have ever wanted to give it a try start planning now to join us.

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Beautiful Morning in Plein Air

Posted in daily painter, Plein Air, tagged daily painter, Dickey RIdge, Landscape, Plein Air, Shenandoah National Park on May 26, 2015| Leave a Comment »

I enjoyed a lovely morning at Dickey Ridge Visitor Center painting that view. I have painted it several times but it’s always a thrill to be there painting outdoors.

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Interesting Landscapes on Location

Posted in Plein Air, Workshop/Retreat, tagged Plein Air, workshop on May 11, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Often when people think of painters they imagine an artist with an easel set up outdoors painting. And many artists do paint that way but not as many as you would think. Plein Air painting is not as simple as it looks. There are many things to consider but it is very rewarding.

If you have wanted to give Plein Air painting a try why not join us for the Plein Air Workshop later this month. Click here for additional information and to register.

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Plein Air Painting in Waterford

Posted in Landscape, Plein Air, tagged brick painting, Historic Village of Waterford, impressionism, Landscape, oil painting, Plein Air, Shenandoah Valley Artist, Virginia Artist, Waterford Virginia on October 10, 2014| Leave a Comment »

A study in brick on location in Waterford, VA

A view of Waterford, VA. Park behind the church

A view of a street in Waterford

Another streetscape in Waterford

Yesterday I painted with the Plein Air group in Waterford, Virginia. Our group meets to paint together outdoors in different locations to hone our skills and enjoy the fellowship of other painters. And Waterford was such a nice choice. I had never even heard of it and it is just about an hour from where I live.

The entire town is a national historic village. It was founded by a Quaker from Bucks County, PA in 1733 and many of the buildings still is use were built before 1840. It’s adorable. (Learn more here about Waterford.)

There were so many wonderful streetscapes in this adorable little village that it was hard to choose what to paint. I took many, many photos so that I would have some material for later.

I decided to paint the front portion of a cute little brick home so that I could do a “study in brick”. I don’t often do streetscapes so I took this opportunity to practice working on shape and color. I like how it has started and hope to finish it soon in the studio. The lady who lives in the house came out to chat for a few minutes. She was delightful.

I have missed painting with this group and hope we get a chance to paint together a couple more Thursdays before the weather gets too cold.

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Sunflower Field at Oxbow Farm

Posted in daily painter, Landscape, Plein Air, tagged daily painter, daily painting, impressionism, Landscape, Oxbow Farm, Shenandoah Valley, sunflower, sunflowers, Virginia Artist on September 28, 2014| 1 Comment »

I spent a delightful morning painting a sunflower field at a beautiful farm north of town yesterday.

It has been awhile since I have been out to paint and I had almost forgotten how much I enjoyed it.

As with most Plein Air paintings that I do this one is almost finished but will get a little adjustment now that I have it in the studio. You can see the step-by-step progress in this collage.

Sunflower View I is an oil on canvas panel measuring 11″ x 14″. SOLD!

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Celebrating Wilderness Through Art!

Posted in Plein Air, Tips for Better Painting, Travel, Workshop/Retreat, tagged Betty Gatewood, Big Meadows, Celebrating Wilderness Through Art, Phyllis Northup, Shenandoah National Park, sketching on July 13, 2014| 2 Comments »

Phyllis Northup (right) explains sketching techniques

Betty Gatewood, Park Ranger, explains the schedule

Hiking to our Sketch Location

Participants in Big Meadows

Quick sketches done by seminar participants

Big Meadow-Shenandoah National Park

The “Celebrating Wilderness Through Art” Seminar that I attended yesterday was delightful!

The group of about 25 met at Byrd Visitor Center (milepost 51) and were warmly welcomed by the staff of Shenandoah National Park as well as by our seminar leaders Betty Gatewood and Phyllis Northup.

We were given an overview of the Wilderness Act which is celebrating its 50th Anniversary. The seminar was offered as part of that celebration.

The focus of the day was on the “How and Why of Journaling Nature”. The leaders did an excellent job in such a short time to focus on seeing and sketching as well as recording what we see, feel, hear and smell as we view nature.

We spent time sketching out in the middle of Big Meadows, recording colors and sights.

Hiking to the location to sketch gave us the opportunity to see small bits of nature that we sometime forget to slow down and take in.

Sketching is a wonderful way to slow down and see!

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Grazing Sheep

Posted in Farm Animals, Plein Air, tagged Plein Air, Sassafras Farm, sheep on May 7, 2014| 1 Comment »

This is the second plein air painting that I worked on while at Sassafras Farm a few weekends ago. (See the first one here.) I still have a little more to add but it’s almost done. Now that the weather is beginning to cooperate I plan to get outside to paint more.

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Painting at Sassafras Farm

Posted in Plein Air, tagged Chickens in the Road, Plein Air painting, Sassafras Farm, West Virginia painting on May 1, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Subject for Painting Lane to Sassafras Farm

Lane to Sassafras Farm

I had a couple of free hours Saturday morning before teaching the workshop so I set up my easel and painted a little view of the lane that leads to Sassafras Farm. With all the bad weather we have had this year this is the first time I have had an opportunity to paint outside. Lane to Sassafras Farm, acrylic on canvas panel, 6″x8″, available for $95 (unframed).

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Showhouse to Raise Money for Hospice

Posted in daily painter, Plein Air, Small Town Life, Travel, tagged Blue Ridge Hospice, daily painter, Plein Air, Virginia Artist, Winchester Show House and Gardens on September 5, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Several weeks ago I blogged about painting on location with a group of artists to help with a fundraiser for Blue Ridge Hospice. Read about it here. The Winchester Show House and Gardens opens this Saturday and I hope you will plan to see it. The photos in the article in The Northern Virginia Daily and on their website does not do the house justice. Go see it. It will be a wonderful outing and you will be helping a very good cause. Thanks! Here’s the article: http://www.nvdaily.com/news/2013/09/winchester-showhouse-and-gardens-fundraiser-honors-headley-homes-history.php