The Paint You Use

If you are interested in plein air painting you probably have oil, water soluble or acrylic paint already.  For anyone who hasn't here is my advice.

Acrylic - dries very quickly and is pretty difficult to use outdoors - now that I have said that there is a brand and I believe it is Chroma which can be manipulated longer.  At the bottom of this article I will include a link where you can get more information.  I know there are youtube videos with instructions too.  I have some artists in the plein air group that I started (Low Country Plein Air Society) which use acrylic and they are happy with it but they do keep a misting bottle near by to keep it moist.  I began with acrylics but only used them inside.

Water Soluble Oil - My first forray into oil painting, both inside and out, was with water soluble.  I thought it was ideal that I didn't have to be involved with turpentine  My fear of turpentine stemmed from those days of interior room painting with oil paint and the messy, annoying and prolonged time it took to clean the paint brushes.  So, water soluble was it for me.  I like them but as I watched my friends with their juicy and beautiful colors of regular oils I just had to switch.  The water soluble paints of today are available in many more colors than those of 10 years ago but they still just aren't quite as juicy and they still don't have all the wonderful colors.  One additional note on water soluble - you can use them with regular oil paints - yes, you can, but, they lose the water soluble aspect and you then have to clean up with turpentine or mineral spirits.  So, if you are out painting and missing a color you can borrow from one of your oil paint friends but remember to use turpentine to clean your brushes.

Which brings me to oil paints.  I love them and find the clean up just as easy as water soluble.  Yes, you do have turpentine to deal with but with the no-odor kind or Gamblin it isn't so pronounced.  For beginners who really aren't committed to painting i suggest you by the Blick student colors - they are large tubes of the basic colors and are very inexpensive (relatively).  For those who have made the commitment I have no single recommendation.  When I buy paint I just ogle all the various colors and buy what appeals to me - sometimes it is nothing more than a name, ie: Carribean Blue, a color that was introduced to me by Drama Tolle Perry.   I also love Radient Violet by Gamblin and the other radient colors.  The basic colors I try to buy in the large tubes (it is more cost effective).  You can buy small, basic, unfilled tubes into which you can squeeze some of your larger tubes so you don't have to drag around those large ones.  

My next post will discuss the colors of your palette both basic and the "everything but the kitchen sink" kind.

For those of you interested in the Chroma Acrylics here is the link  Chroma Atelier Interactive Artists' Acrylics

As a final note, I am in the process of accumulating some links which will help you find some of the items I have mentioned in my blog.  So, look for these in future posts.

So You Want to Try Plein Air Painting

This is the supply list for those of you who are first timers or just want to have a list handy so you don't forget anything.  

Paint
Easel (hopefully one that is steady enough that it won't blow over in the wind)
Palette (I always use a piece of acrylic that my husband has cut to size to fit in my easel or french companion)
Paint Brushes
Jar of turpentine
Some medium (I use a quick dry one called Archival Lean medium)
A container for the medium (I have seen people use a bottle cap, I have a small jar)
Paper Towels
Wet Wipes
Bungee cord - big enough or small enough to help secure your painting on windy days
Canvas, or board (boards are great because the sun doesn't shine through them)
Plein air umbrella (this isn't absolutely necessary for a first time painter but if you decide you want to continue you will need one.)
Something to scrape your palette, such as a palette knife or the kind of scraper you get at the paint store to scrape paint off windows
Something to carry your wet painting home in (a new pizza box works well, or one of those flat boxes from Sams Club)
I usually have a tarp covering the back of my SUV so no paint gets on the carpet
Something to schlepp your stuff to where you are planning to paint
Wide brimmed hat
Sun screen
Bug spray (I have an assortment - Cactus Juice, which is great and doesn't have DEET in it and powerful deep woods Off for those times when the mosquitoes and gnats are like B-52 bombers.

Some of you may find it handy to have a camera (to record what you are painting so that you can finish it back in the studio) or to have a view finder (one of those little gizmos to isolate the view you might want to paint.

Extra stuff I always carry:
Wrench (to open paint tubes when they have become sticky)
One of those squeezing things that you turn to remove the last smidgen of paint from the tube
Latex gloves (this stuff is carcinogenic) (I don't always use these)
Extra paper towels
A business card (I always have a sort of rack card with my web site and other contact information on it which also displays a photo or two of my work.  Just in case a potential customer comes by.)

Today I will take some time to discuss your palette and paint in depth.  Your palette - if you have a jullian easel you can use the wood one and store it in one of those palette boxes which slow the dry time.  I have seen artists put their paint in pill boxes (one color in each slot) then they can cover them up when they are done and store them in the freezer to retard the dry time.  I have also seen artists put blobs of paint on thin strips of acrylic (such as 3" by 10") then those can be stored in the freezer.  I used the pill box method early on and from time to time think I should go back to that but then I am a little lazy and often I like to carry every color available out with me.

Which brings me to my next point - lugging the darn stuff around with you.  I usually am not hiking into the wilderness to paint - the most I ever have to walk is maybe 1/2 mile to 1 mile so, I use a rolling file carrier (see the above picture) from your local office supply store.  I have hiked further and then I really have to consolidate my stuff and use a backpack and light easel, but if you are beginning, chances are that you won't be doing that.

In that rolling file carrier I have a cardboard box almost the size of the carrier.  It holds just about everything.  I always have a plastic bag in which I set my turp. container and medium container and medium.  There was a learning curve relative to that - before I used the plastic bag to contain the runny stuff I had a leak and the turpentine got all over my car and soaked through the cardboard - it was a mess.  Experience is a dear teacher.

I have a plastic box from Joann's which was probably designed to hold sewing or beading supplies and into it I put small tubes of paint. I have removed the small pieces that would divide it into much smaller sections. What doesn't fit in there goes into the cardboard box.  (this is when I am in the "everything but the kitchen sink" mode)  When I pare down everything I use about 10 colors and the extra box isn't necessary.

I realize this probably seems daunting to you but you undoubtedly have much of this on hand in your studio.  Think of it like taking your studio outside.  And, stay tuned, I will have more helpful hints tomorrow.

Heading North for the Holidays

Yes, I have been absent for a week or two.  No excuses but I have been busy.  Our time is spent in Ohio (Cleveland area) and Hilton Head, South Carolina and after a month in the south we pack up our belongings and head back up North to celebrate the holidays with our children and grandchildren.  This task should be pretty easy - and it is for my husband..............

My dear husband, Ed, throws five changes of clothes in a duffle bag and is done.  Me, not so easy.  I have to collect and pack all my art supplies (paints, brushes, easels, and whatever), my clothes (I do not have duplicates up North), clean the house because I absolutely refuse to return to a dirty house, empty the fridge, etc., etc., etc..

This is a pretty unequal distribution of work.  Now compound this by having a house guest for the weekend and an event to go to.  Well, you get the picture.  (lest you think I don't enjoy house guests - I do.  I love to plan a delicious meal (this time it was an homage to Charlie Trotter from one of his wonderful cookbooks)) and enjoy the conversation that ensues and the accompanying wine and camaraderie.

But back to the art side of things.  Packing to plein air paint I have down to a system but hauling things up north and back down south and back up north is a horse of a different color.  I am usually collecting a few paintings I have done and want to deliver to a gallery, or packing up some frames that I need in Ohio, or simply trying to make sure I have all easels and supplies etc. that I might need.  I think it might be a good idea to have a document with all supplies so that I can check them off before a trip.  Note to self: create one before you drive back down South!  This would facilitate a better nights sleep on the eve of the trip.  

So, for now I am back and will be posting frequently.  I think my next post might be the science behind packing to paint "plein air".  

By the way, you can find my work on dailypaintworks.com now.  I have only posted one painting which you can see above, but will be posting another tomorrow, and so on.  This small  6 x 6 inch painting was done from a study that I did in Maryland, in the Deep Creek Lake area.  I just love the blue of the mountains and the rolling landscape in that area. 

Technology Literacy or Lack There Of

This is funny:  My husband, a devoted couch potato, went to turn on our television this morning.  It didn't work.  He is on the phone with a tech support person as I write and I am listening to the exchange.  A little background first, we spend our winters on Hilton Head Island where the demographic of the population is heavily skewed toward the senior end of the scale.  So, as you can imagine, the number of people who are almost incapacitated by technology is staggering.  Consequently, the tech support for cable TV and internet has had to learn to be really, really patient.

So, I am listening to him discussing his life story with this support person as he relates how he was watching the television "just fine" last night and he doesn't know what went wrong, he thinks he just pushed this little button in the corner of the remote.  The tech person, meanwhile, is trying to walk him through rebooting.  Now he is relating his favorite TV shows to the support person.  Oh brother!  You are probably wondering why, at this point, I don't jump in and help him.  Well, I can explain.  (and this is the same thing I tell him)  He needs to be able to do this on his own because what if I am not here.  The cable company has made it relatively easy to contact them - just a three digit number to dial on the phone.

Thankfully, he isn't trying to get the internet working - I think that would completely befuddle him.

Patience is a virtue!

My Favorite Easels for Plein Air Painting

I have tried several easels in my reletively short career as a plein air painter and I liked all three for various reasons.

1.  The Versa EasyL:  This easel was my go-to easel for a number of years.  I lined the palette with a piece of acrylic cut to size and replaced it when it was just too gooped up with paint.  I loved the fact that it accommodated canvas ranging from small to rather large (I think the largest I every used on it was 18 x 24 in a vertical format).  I also liked the fact that even with intense sun much of the canvas was backed with the lid of the easel.  I never owned one of that company's umbrellas so I can't speak for it's ease of use but my Jullian umbrella worked well attached to the side of the palette box unless it was windy.  Unfortunately the tripod gave out and I have yet to replace it.  One other thing I liked about this easel was that you could easily stand or sit while using it.

2.  The James Coulter easel:  I have been using this pretty regularly.  Like the EasyL I have had a piece of acrylic cut for the palette box.  What I like about it is the ability to have your palette (a pretty roomy one) attached right in front of you as you paint.  What I don't like about it is that I have to secure my canvas with a bungee cord.  And you cannot sit down and use it without some self-made modifications (my husband was unable to do this but I have a friend whose husband was able to do this to hers).  I also find it unstable in wind but that is kind of balanced by the fact that it is easily transportable.  Below is a picture of mine with a well used palette.

3.  The Take-It Easel:  I came across this easel when I was painting in Cape Cod.  When searching out places to paint I met a fellow plein air artist, Rosalie Nadeau.  She and her son (I believe that is the family member that does this) developed this easel which was fashioned after the old Gloucester easel.  I use this a lot.  It can accommodate very large canvas, is relatively easy to set up (once you know the trick to it), it is very sturdy in the wind (due to the wide stance of the legs) and you can use a large palette.  I usually use a french companion with it but I have shown it with the Coulter palette for the sake of convenience. There is a much less expensive on available called a Beauport easel (I have one) but I never use it - it is just too difficult to set up.  With this easel you have the trouble of the sun shining right through the canvas but it does keep the canvas on the easel even if it is very windy.  Below is a picture of the Take-It with a 24 x 30 canvas and I have done much larger paintings.:

To solve the problem of the sun coming through the canvas I have done several of the following dependinc on my suppies: thrown a painting jacket or shirt over the back (which means I have sides, corners and top which needs to be touched up in the studio), used a piece of foam core cut to fit inside the canvas, or used a self gessoed board or ampersand gesso board.

Below are the links for the three easels.

www.artworkessentials.com

artboxandpanel.com

http://www.takeiteasel.com

Adjunct to The Beginning

This is also the beginning of my blogging.  I had randomly posted some blogs on my web site but I am going to get serious about it now.  

Consequently I am only starting to understand the ins and outs of getting this organized.  So please bare with me.  I will have lots of photos, links, suggestions and insights to follow.  I am currently working on getting a decent profile up and running.  If you just can't wait to read more about me you can check out my web site.  (another place I need to update information, ie: shows, awards, new work etc.)  

Thanks for visiting!

The Beginning and/ or Sometimes You Have to Dive Right In

Well, after yesterday's kinda, sorta rant I have decided to continue along a more positive note.

I am a plein air painter (for the most part) and have been doing so since 2008.  I started life as a painter in 2004.  Anyway, I find there is an almost zen feeling to painting outside in the elements.  But in the beginning I was just worried, scared, nervous.....  

I was concerned for my safety - out in a somewhat remote location, focused on painting and not having the anyone around to rescue me if, if, if...

Secondly, I was very nervous about people observing me and just, exactly, what my painting would look like.

So, I found a location that was somewhat out of the way and set up my easel and commenced to paint.  Well, the location wasn't that isolated because slowly people began to wander into my circle of privacy and comment on my painting.  Now mind you, it wasn't very good and these kind people would say things like, "That is beautiful." or "What are you painting?".  I was embarrassed, furthermore, the painting wasn't working and I couldn't understand how someone would think it was beautiful unless they needed to run immediately to the eye doctor for new glasses.

Well, the next time I went out I had photos of work I had done in the studio so that when someone came up to check out what I was doing I could show them a finished product.  That solved one of my dilemmas.

My ability to capture a scene improved gradually but that doesn't mean I don't have complete and utter disasters from time to time.

The only thing that hasn't changed are my safety concerns on those occasions when I am alone in a rather isolated area.  My husband tried to come to my rescue by purchasing a knife for me. The sad truth about having something like that at my disposal is that by the time I realized that my safety might be threatened and looked for the knife in my supply bag, unsheathed it and turned to face the threat - well, it would be too late.

My daughter really brought reality home to me last winter.  I was heading out to paint and it was cold and a little snowy, so I was dressed with barn boots, heavy clothes, heavy jacket, mittens  stocking cap and pretty much had captured the look of a bag lady.
She said, "Really, Mom, it is highly doubtful that any predator would select you, you should check out your ensemble in a mirror." Sometimes the honest and frank opinions of my daughter are quite helpful.  I guess this was one of them.

So, after some ramblings about the beginning of my plein air adventure I am leaving you with this thought.  You have to persevere.  If you are nervous about painting alone just google plein air painter and the city you live near.  Something usually shakes out and if you contact them (and I always recommend a phone call rather than waiting for email contact) they may ask you to join them or point you in the direction of a group that meets regularly.
Once you begin, keep at it.  I know the light keeps changing and sometimes it is hard to chose what to paint.  I will talk about these things in a later post.  But if you keep doing it it gets easier.  

I wish I had some early ones to show you but I didn't take pictures back then - very silly of me but...  

The Visceral Connection to Art

Before I began to paint I collected artwork.  Before that my parents collected artwork.  I am not talking about spending thousands of dollars on high end paintings; I am talking about modest investments in pieces to which my parents or I had a visceral connection.  Isn't that the way one should buy art??

Now that I am an artist I paint what I have an emotional or visceral connection to.  Upon occasion I do commission work.  Most of the time it is because someone has fallen in love with what I do but they want a different view or a still life with a different flower.  But sometimes, the customer wants colors that match their room or a painting that reflects a different style.  I sell my work at several outside shows and those that buy my paintings just love what the buy but sometimes, I overhear the customer talking about the fact that the painting won't match their decor.

I just don't understand that concept.  I am not saying that it is wrong but I just can't wrap my head around someone not having an emotional connection to artwork and making a purchase because of decor and not love.

I have worked within the parameters of a decorator and pushed my palette or style toward something which I don't normally do.  All in the effort to promote my work.  And I will undoubtedly do it again but I just wish that...................

barbarabenedictart.com