Working methods and habits – good and not so good - evolve
over time. When you change your environment, new challenges - beyond the
equipment and physical ones - emerge. Painting en plein air – without my comfortable studio set-up, photos and
computer, challenged me to paint differently. I learned to be much more ‘in the
moment’, make creative decisions more quickly, and paint more spontaneously. I
had no props – just what I saw in front of me. I didn't care about 'wasting paint' (ideally less to take home in my suitcase) or paper (I had more). After a three hour dose of this kind of
work each morning, I felt more creatively free back in the studio, in the
afternoon.
Keeping this experience in mind, I hope to continue to do some
weekly plein air painting this summer, and continue to paint with less reliance
on my props and studio environment, and more creatively.
The two landscape paintings I recently posted (above), and two I did in France (below) are examples of what I hope to try more of in the next few weeks. Namely, painting the essence of the view/place in a relatively natural style, and then de-constructing it, and painting simplified, abstracted versions. It’s not that this is necessarily a new direction, it's just that I am trying to be more conscious of what I am doing and why.
Sounds like you had a positive experience at the workshop. Getting out of my comfort zone at a workshop is always so hard for me, but you absolutely rose to the challenge. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, wonderful paintings and beautiful photos, Pat!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Chris, for reading my posts and your very kind words - I really appreciate all.
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