The Pass. Painting #88. My First Plein Air Painting.

Note:  It has been a long time since I’ve written a new blog post.  This post will be published over a year after this painting was completed. I have been spending a lot of time tweaking my site and rewriting old blog posts to make them more interesting and readable. Go back to read about my first nine paintings completely rewritten with more substantial content to include inspiration, process, and tips and tricks.  https://happypaintingsbycraig.com/2018/06/

On to the post.

Creating on the spot has an adventure that my modest words will never explain. – Harley Brown

About this Plein Air Painting

The Pass is oil painting #88. It is an original painting and painted in the en plein air style. This painting was my first plein air style painting. It captures a beautiful fall day at St. Andrews State Park overlooking the shipping channel separating St. Andrews and Shell Island. Also, the Pass is the channel traversed by local fishermen to access the bountiful fishery of the Gulf of Mexico. Choosing the scene for this painting was a process that I will explain a bit later. 

Let’s Get Started

This post is about my original en plein air oil painting, The Pass. First, I’ll talk about the inspiration and background of this en plein air journey.. When I talk about inspiration in this blog, I will start out by explaining why I chose a certain subject or Bob Ross episode to follow. Then, I will go over the colors and equipment I used. Next, I will expound a bit about my process and some tips for en plein air that I learned. Finally, I’ll wrap up with some lessons that I learned from painting this picture and things I could have done better or wished I had known.

Background

This plein air journey all started when I went to a location that was photographing artwork for display at a local event in town. I was having some of my paintings photographed for that event. Following the photo session, there was a meeting of a local art group. I figured it would be a great way to network and meet some fellow artists in the area. 

The topic for that meeting happened to be about a week long plein air event. The event would consist of classes and workshops and end with two days of contests. I wouldn’t be able to attend any of the workshops taught by experienced artists due to work. I would, however, be able to take part in the plein air event to close out the week. The event would culminate in an artist reception, a judging, and gallery viewing at one of the swanky hotels by the water where the artists would have the chance to sell their work.

After the meeting I stuck around to talk to some of the artists and exchange social media/website information and shared some of our work. I reflected on the evening on my short drive home and decided I was going to enter. Despite having zero plein air experience, I figured why not give it a go? What have I got to lose other than the entry fee? 

Contest day

Contest day was a fun and educational day. I was about to try a style of painting I had never tried before…in a contest no less.  The contest took place in the beautiful St. Andrews State Park in Panama City Beach, Florida. The contestants were to have roughly 8 hours to scout and paint as many locations within the park as time would allow.  

Scouting and Location Selection for Plein Air Painting

St. Andrews Park isn’t a big place but prior to this contest I had never been. Shocking, I know. I had lived in the area for two years and this was my first time at the park. Perhaps it would have been prudent to at least visit the park at some point before contest day. I had to do a quick drive around recon to get an idea of some spots to at least scout. I narrowed it down to three spots to scout for a painting location. If time permitted, I could have painted at all three. The top three locations were the jetty/beach area, Gator Lake, and a little marshy area within the park.

My primary location turned out to be the jetty/beach area. Even here there were a few different scenes I could focus on. Another artist was already painting on the beach. So I chose a spot between two sand dunes overlooking the waterway out to the Gulf of Mexico, AKA, the Pass. To my right was the beach, to my top right was the jetty behind the dune, and in front of me was a small tidal pool and the Pass.

Plein Air Equipment

I had no idea how to do this plein air thing or what exactly I needed.  I wasn’t about to purchase any special gear for something I didn’t know if I was even going to like. So I packed up the whole studio to the beach for some plein air painting. The only thing I bought was a 6 foot foldable plastic table to set my table top easel on. I must have looked like the artist equivalent of a googan.

I loaded up my beach cart with 

• 6’ foldable table
• Tabletop Bob Ross Easel
• Various sized  canvas
• My palette
• A small bucket with a snap on lid and some paint thinner. 
• The original case from my first Bob Ross Master Paint Set which I loaded up my paints and brushes. I brought them all. I didn’t know what I would be using. 

Colors I Brought

• Alizarin Crimson
• Bright Red
• Cadmium Yellow
• Midnight Black
• Phthalo Blue
• Sap Green
• Titanium Hwite
• Van Dyke Brown
• Liquid Hwite!
• Yellow Ochre
• Indian Yellow
• Prussian Blue 
• Dark Sienna

Brushes 

• 2 Inch Brush
• 1 Inch Brush
• #6 Fan Brush
• Large Palette Knife
• Script Liner Brush
• #6 Filbert Brush
• Small Filbert Brush

The Process

I unpacked the cart and set everything up.  I chose the long canvas for this scene.  Once everything was set up and ready to do, I didn’t know what to do! It was a gorgeous day!  Low to mid 70s and sunny with a bit of a breeze. 

I started out by just taking in the scenery as far as my eye could see.  Studying the lighting, the shadows, the tones, and the colors. I wish I could give you some plein air tips because there are a lot of tips and techniques to keep in mind but I honestly just jumped in head first with no prior experience. That’s how I do everything pretty much. I jump in then figure out how to swim later. 

To be honest, I didn’t do anything special or different than I do when I’m painting normally from a reference.  There are some plein air tips out there about choosing the right scenery and what not.  A lot of those tips have to do with lighting because the lighting changes throughout the day. In my case, on this day, it was a bright sunny day and the lighting change was negligible with regard to the scene I chose to paint. 

Clock is Ticking!

I was prepared on the day to paint multiple paintings at several different locations. I brought various sized canvases for flexibility. However, I was only able to finish this and only this painting. It took way longer than expected. It was all good though. I was having a great time and the weather was amazing.  People would walk by on the way to the beach and have a peek at what I was doing. Some would ask questions that I was happy to answer. That was one of the most fun parts actually. I love interacting and talking to people about my art. 

After about five hours of painting, the clock was running out. I was just about done, so I thought. There was one little rule I forgot about. The canvas had to be framed or gallery wrapped. There is a way to immediately frame a plein air painting but my canvas/style wasn’t conducive to that. Plus I didn’t bring a frame. Therefore, I had to gallery wrap my painting. What does that mean you may ask? I asked myself that question as well. That simply means that you have to paint the edge of the canvas as if the painting continued off the canvas.

Now I have to figure out a way to transport the painting to the gallery viewing while still wet and I couldn’t even hold on to the edges. I didn’t really think this through. Only one thing to do. Leave it on the easel and put the easel in the front seat and buckle it in. 

The Reception/Gallery

What a day! The weather was gorgeous! I had that creative feeling all day while painting, enjoying the outdoors, and chatting with people. And now I was headed to my first gallery and artist reception.  I had no idea what to expect but I was excited. After packing up all my gear and strapping in my easel with painting on it, I carefully drove over to the hotel where the viewing would be held. When I dropped off the painting, the lady organizing it asked me how much I was selling it for.  Crap! I didn’t even think about that. So I threw out a number. Ummmm, $200. There was a brief silence. Oh no! That’s way too high I thought. She looks at it for a couple seconds then replies “Yeah, that’s worth $200.”  Whoa! Guess it was a reasonable price. 

There was still some time before the reception started so I raced home to shower, change, and pick up the wife. What to wear? I’ve never been to an artist reception though. However, given the location and the company, I figured I’d have to dress nice. Business casual at the very least. 

Arrived at the hotel very excited. I was excited for the new experience and to meet other artists in the community.  Though my excitement was high, my expectations for placing in the contest or selling the painting were low. I was just happy to be part of the experience. 

Judgement

At the reception, it was pretty quiet. Mostly just the artists and their families. There was more time to see all the work displayed.  There was some exceptional work from oil painters and watercolor painters.  You could tell they were experienced. I knew I had no shot at placing in the top 3. Throughout the event I got to meet a lot of the artists, enjoy a bit of wine and cocktail snacks while waiting for the winner announcements. There didn’t seem to be a lot of viewer traffic through the gallery. 

It was finally time for the winners to be announced. Like I said, I wasn’t expecting to win or even place but there’s always that small bit of hope that there’s an outside chance. The first and second place winners were not surprising at all.  An oil painter with many years of experience in painting and plein air painting took first place. A watercolor painter with many years of experience took second place. The third place piece was quite surprising. I can’t even explain what was painted. The artist themself was surprised at taking third place. In my opinion, many artists there got robbed. I’m not saying I should have taken third or even placed but the third place pick was not deserved. However, that’s just part of subjective judging. The only painting that sold was the first place winner. 

Overall, I had a fantastic experience. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. This event got me more excited about moving forward in my artistic journey and experience more on that side of the art world. I did receive some positive feedback about my painting though. I had big plans for 2020. But we all know what happened. 

The Painting

I present to you “The Pass”.  

I’m really pleased with it. My favorite part is probably the background. I enjoyed the challenge of creating the color of the distant tree lines along with the subtle highlights. Towards the end I had to rush a bit so I didn’t get the sand dune grass clumps and sea oats the way I wanted. 

Plein Air Tips/Tricks/Advice

I don’t know much about en plein air painting and I haven’t done any since this day. However, I know lighting is important and you ideally want a subject with lighting that doesn’t change a whole lot or a subject with a lot of shadow. My painting involved shadow in the foreground. As long as it’s not a whole lot, you should be able to cover the area if you work quickly enough. 

Don’t be afraid. Not every painting or drawing is going to be a masterpiece but you have to go into it thinking it will be. As the great Bill Alexander would say, “butter yourself up.” Be willing to make mistakes er, happy accidents. Let things happen. Be excited to try new things and explore new techniques. 

Sand color. Using the Bob Ross color palette, the best way to make a sand color is with a bit of dark sienna and yellow ochre. More yellow ochre than sienna. Mix that first. Then gradually add a little bit to a pile of titanium white until you get the value you want. It is important that you add the dark color to the white instead of vice versa.  If you do it the other way, you will be adding white for days. In the case of the area I was painting, the sand is almost the color of snow so I only had to add a small bit of the sand mixture to my white. 

Final Thoughts

I had a fantastic experience because I was willing to step outside my comfort zone. My painting didn’t sell at the reception/gallery and that’s okay. It did end up in a frame and at a local artist exhibit the art center in town holds. That exhibit also had an artist reception about a month or so later. I received a lot of compliments and was close to a sale. It did not sell there either but again, great experience in that area of the art world.

They are having another exhibit this year where “The Pass” is being featured. To my knowledge, it hasn’t yet sold. The good news for you is that it is available in my art store. 

Ever done en plein air yourself? What are some tips or lessons you learned? Let me know about your experience in the comments. Subscribe to my blog to stay up to date and be notified when a new post is live and follow along with my artistic journey.  Check out my Art Store to see other paintings for sale. You can also follow me on all my social media sites. 

Happy Painting!