Just started a new class painting watercolor on location. Wowie! What fun! I believe that painting on location or “plein air” is good for improving your skills as a painter and good for your soul. It teaches you to see instead of just look. It teaches you how to simplify. It is soooo much better then a photo. Someone once told me that photos lie and he was right on. Even if the weather changes and surprises happen it is such a worthwhile experience. This was a small demo I did and it forced me to be very discerning about my composition and what to put in and what to leave out. Painting outdoors can be overwhelming by the amount of visual information there is. You can learn so much by having to distill this information into one coherent image. Challenging but what fun when the magic works. Try it!!!
This summer our group of painters are getting together at a couple of homes on the lake and golf course and are painting “plein air” This will be the first time I paint outside. I am very excited and I think it will be good time for connecting with other artists and sharing experiences and ideas in watercolor.
I am really enjoying your blog and hope that you keep it up. Thanks for the mentoring.
Yeah! Especially when there are a lot of people. Hills, forests and beaches tend to be relatively better models
I have still to conquer drawing and painting from life! 