When I painted this the sun was directly over-head, I was standing on granite (hence the pink rock) and there was no shade nearby. I have an umbrella that pokes into the ground and it was a no-go with all the granite, so I, and my painting (& palette), were directly in the sun. I'm sure there are rules against this in the plein air world (please let me know if there are). I definitely thought the granite hill was going to be lighter than it is here, but otherwise it's pretty much what I thought I was painting. : )
7 comments:
I love all your work, but it's so interesting to see how your plein air painting is developing.
My husband and I were cruising down Peachtree here in Atlanta tonight and saw your 30x30 sunflower painting in the window of Twinhouse Gallery. It was in the window and all lit up. Looked fabulous!
An adoring fan from Hotlanta.
It's a really great painting Carol - one of those that made me want to come and 'look see' after seeing it in the daily newsletter.
The admonitions against painting in full sun really relate to sun blindness and heat stroke! It really depends on how long you take to paint as to whether these matter.
The sun blindness matters as it can mean you can't see colours properly (or at all) after a bit. I find a hat or cap with a huge brim (keeping my eyes shaded) helps enormously with the sun blindness. I guess you were also probably painting on a coloured ground - so you wouldn't have encountered the perennial problem of the dreaded white glare from the paper which faces watercolour painters or people who sketch in full sunlight.
I've been told you should have both your painting and palette either in sun or shade. Do not shade your painting and have your palette in the sun and vice versa. The sun should be on your r or l, but not in front or behind you. When you bring your painting inside, it may look quite bright if you've painted in shade, and dull if you've painted in sun. This is why I've gone to studio painting! Although what is more fun than creating a plein air sketch on a nice day with good friend(s). I think "Inks Lake" would make a beautiful larger piece. And your larger still lifes are just gorgeous. Well, it's been a while since I've commented, so now I'm caught up. Keep up the GREAT work.
I love the looseness and spontenaity of your plein air work and it is good to see you challenging yourself. In answer to Marilyn, I find that I always bring my plein air work back into the studio to do some minor touch ups, usually in value correction to deal with the errors of getting the values to read right once the painting is back indoors. That way you can have the best of both worlds! If you compare a plein air painting with a photo taken of the same scene, the plein air work is always more interesting as it contains the essence of what interested you.
From a dedicated plein air addict!
I, too, love your work and when I don't have time to check everyone's blog I just check yours!
You are correct, there is a rule. Never have your surface and palette in direct sunlight. Your painting will appear much darker than you intended, as you experienced with the granite.
The sun blindness issue is primarily when working on a white canvas in direct sunlight, as skiers get when not protecting their eyes from the snow in the sunshine.
I have an unbrella that clamps onto my easel, although for comfort's sake I gravitate towards shade mostly.
Just chiming in to say that I agree with b buggia, that the problem with the palette and canvas in direct sunlight almost always makes you paint too dark. Don't know why, don't care why... I've just seen it happen too many times! I like your painting, though, and anyone who can get to Provincetown, MA should go see Carol's work at the West End Gallery on Commercial Street - it's unbelievable! :)
Ooooo, lovely Carol. Was this Enchanted Rock? You really captured the feeling of the granite, with sparse plants here and there, defying the heat and dryness.
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