Team Chat - Colour chips & Plein Air

I'm of the camp, Plein air is for learning and developing observational skills more than it is about finished paintings. My first 6 months was all about Plein air painting and I absolutely enjoyed the process....and still do. You move fast, record the info and move on......if you don't, you end up following the light.....or getting rained on:=) Back in the studio, as colour chips, these little paintings work well as reminders and are easily used in conjunction with photo references later.......colour chips!

MY FIRST PLEIN AIR PAINTING 2009

 #2 Libby Terrace 10x10 plein air oil on canvas panel (3-18-09)

PLEIN AIR IN THE RAIN & LIGHTNING

 #27 Stormy James from Libby Terrace 12x12 oil on canvas panel (5-4-09)

SAME DAY BACK IN THE STUDIO 

#28 Stormy James 30x24 oil on canvas panel (5-4-09)

AN EARLY SURPRISE 
AN HONOR THROUGH PLEIN AIR ON LIBBY HILL

 #124 Libby Sunset - plein air 8x10 oil on canvas panel (8-3-09)

 #125 Libby Sunset - plein air 8x10 oil on canvas panel (8-3-09)

RESULTED FROM THIS PAINTING THE NEXT DAY
Juried into Oil Painter of America 2009 Eastern Exhibit
Corse Gallery, Jacksonville, Florida

 #126 Richmond - Libby Sunset 18x24 oil on linen panel (8-4-09)
 

Another thing I did in the studio was fast "warmups", even more effective than plein air. I would stack a half dozen related photo references pared with small 8x10 inexpensive canvas panels (purchased by-the-box) and quickly go through each. Sometimes it would be a few or up to half a dozen in a single session. If the sunrise out my studio widow was right, I would also paint it and use one of the photos as my setting. These learning rants frequently ended up in a painting that was a bit larger. It was a constant approach......that just evolved. 

So, I chat with the team about some of the things I did........well not as effective as the visual presentation above and below and the class demo will do. 

 "VISUAL EXAMPLE OF MY EARLY COLOUR CHIPS - IN THE STUDIO"

#235 8x10 1/25/10

 #236 8x10 1/26/10 (sunrise out studio window)

 #237 11x14 1/26/10

#238 8x10 1/26/10 

NEXT DAY

 #239 8x10 1/27/10

 #240 8x10 1/27/10

NEXT DAY

 #241 10x8 1/28/10

 #242 11x14 1/28/10

NEXT DAY

 #243 8x10 1/29/10

 #244 8x10 1/29/10

 #245 10x8 1/29/10

A SNOW DAY

#246 8x10 1/30/10 (out the studio window)

 #247 10x8 1/30/10

NEXT DAY - END OF MONTH

 #248 8x10 1/31/10 (sunrise out studio window)

#249 11x14 1/31/10

(This continued on with various subjects for months on end!)

THIS WAS MY DAILY LEARNING PROCESS.......THE CHALLENGE  NOW IS HOW TO SHORT CUT IT & PASS IT ON?

I DO A 30X30 CLASS DEMO as part of my coaching program. In reality, because my attention is also shared with the team and their own canvases, my demos often are not finished. If not, they will be in the studio........ a bit of a problem because it doesn't show the team a conclusion - which they need to see -- especially if you expect them to sign-off at the end of the day......as I do!

So, I had a brainy idea to solve my demo problem and show the importance of also doing quick smaller work....critical to the learning process, especially at the front end. It helps develop that all important paint quality so necessary to any finished canvas.

Last week I started using one of these cool 20x16 Centurion linen oil painting pads Jerry's sells  to tell my story.

WHY LINEN? EASY, THESE DOUBLE OIL PRIMED PADS DO NOT ABSORB PAINT - very inexpensive too!

WORKING OUT THE DEMO CONCEPT

I chose my one standard small painting size 12x12 as my basic demo. Centurion's 20x16 size was perfect for what I had in mind. I would have room for a colour bar or other details at the top and my 12x12 painting at the bottom. If one was worthy of a frame it could be cut out and stretched. And, I could perhaps do several, getting different ideas across quickly as opposed to an unfinished 30x30.

 REFERENCE Libby Terrace 1

My first worked well because I was demonstrating and talking to the team about the Colour chip idea and the reasons for it. The colour notes are at the top as intended. Going forward I also want to add different types of brush marks used as well.

 

REFERENCE Libby Terrace 2

(notice both are numbered at the top)

On the second one I lost sight of the colour notes at the top......there was less time after lunch, and everyone was more involved with their own projects......although often broke to watch a moment.

OBJECT: I wanted to show another way of LEARNING by removing the "CAUTION" out of painting.......YES, more about the "FEAR" of wasting an expensive canvas!  At a few dollars a sheet it's better than an expensive linen stretched canvas. Why linen? Because we do need a good inexpensive surface to paint and learn on. Something we can toss and won't hurt financially or we can frame as one session paintings! They store flat one on top the other. In my experience, you'll have more learning paintings than paintings worthy of wall space! Know that and save yourself some time and money at the front end.

Painting must become intuitive if we expect to capture our vision and at the same time make us happy with the result. That means working in sync, brain to brush to canvas!

The team will still work on their larger 30x30 canvases. Or depending on a team members own development, have a choice to also use the Centurion pads as warmups to their benefit in another class or perhaps put it all together in the 3-day studio on large format painting. Developing paint quality and understanding your subject matter at smaller scale  gives a leg-up - one less hurdle to jump over when moving into a large finished work.