a Painters Blog

Fri 7 Mar 2008

me painting at Gray Whale Beach Photo by Ray

2008 36×36 Gray Whale Beach

Last week I went out with two students (Keene and Ray) and we painted at Gray Whale Beach (Also known as devils slide.) The wind was bad and they were real troopers and suffered the wind all day.

I know when the wind is pounding you should bring small panels so your easel doesn’t turn into a sail.

Photo by Ray

But that’s why they invented bungee!

The picture to the right is my painting (YES…IT’S A 36×36!!!) bungeed to the tree in the wind. Go ahead read that line again. I should have checked the wind conditions but amazingly it didn’t fall over once…Not once.

2008 Under A Eucalyptus

The next painting was painted this week in a beautiful park with some great eucalyptus.

Keene took some great photos of me painting with my painting in the direct sunlight. We have this ongoing discussion about how all the books say NOT to paint like this.

Um? Photo by Keene

My response is if you wait for ideal conditions….ideal weather, ideal sun, ideal anything you will never paint!

Um? Photo by Keene

It is never about THIS painting or the painter you are TODAY. It is always about tomorrows painting and how much better a painter you will be tomorrow, having painted today regardless of the circumstances.

I am not a slave to the result. If the painting is successful…great…if not…scrape and move on to the next one.

 

7 Responses to “ Painting Plein Air ”

Comments:

1. Mary Sheehan Winn says:
   March 7th, 2008 at 12:33 pm

   Elio, I wanted to let you know that the link in the email I received from you today, doesn’t work. I googled you up to get here.

   BTW if I’m not painting, I’m cruising the blogs which I can’t get enough of. So many great painters. How I wish I were closer to California there are so many workshops happening there.
   Your work is beautiful, Elio.

   Hmmm…I tested it and it worked for me. Anyone else having trouble?

2. Mary Sheehan Winn says:
   March 7th, 2008 at 12:44 pm

   Artists are SO RESOURCEFUL. Never be without bungees. They are an essential “leave in the car” item; I also use them to hold my palette onto my french easel. No tipping or slipping.
   I like your approach to painting. It has taken me forever to grasp some of the workshop and class knowledge I’ve accumulated and sometimes I find am painting intuitively because I know where I’m going.
   In my latest paintings I find that I’m FINALLY seeing everything as darker so I can make the lights pop by starting with the lights. We do it because it’s fun and we wouldn’t know what to do with ourselves otherwise

   Glad to hear everything is coming along. Keep painting.

3. Gregory says:
   March 9th, 2008 at 11:17 pm

   So that’s the 36×36! Wow The 24×36 too - holy cow! I am more than impressed … those have to have felt good!

   BTW- Did that painting of the tree in Alameda a few weeks back (I think a 20×20, reds, blues - when myself and Peg were there in the storm) work out?

   G

   Yeah, I really like the 24×36. Unfortunately, it is off to Tennessee today otherwise I would have liked to bring it to class this weekend.

   The painting was a 24×24 and yes it turned out wonderful. I don’t have a frame for it so it is still around here somewhere. I will bring it to class Sunday if I can find it.

   I have a bunch of paintings to photograph. For the last month I have been painting still lifes at night under artificial light to prepare for the demo I just did. Some are quite nice I will try to post a bunch this week if I can tear myself away from the easel.

4. Gregory says:
   March 9th, 2008 at 11:27 pm

   Oh, and never mind the paintings, that next to last paragraph … awesome - thanks! Great Post! G

   I am no Oscar Wilde but occasionally I write something worth reading.

5. Rob Ijbema says:
   March 12th, 2008 at 2:09 am

   if there is something i can not cope with outside ,it;s the wind,it drives me nuts,just can’t concentrate,
   you did an amazing job with such a bick canvas…a quiet sunny field with some sheep,do me!

   I bet the wind is much worse there then here. I mean a California winter is like an England summer right?

6. michael says:
   March 19th, 2008 at 9:34 am

   Amazing painting Elio! I’m very interested and impressed at how you would be able to paint a painting this well under direct sunlight, I’ve heard other people say the same what you say about perfect conditions, but personally.. I always find direct light on the work really hard to deal with. I like your creative use of colour in all your work too. It’s obvious you aren’t just copying, but creating and inventing as you go.

   kudos, Mike

   Mike,
   Thank you for the kind words. There is no doubt that is I had a choice I would have my painting and pallet in the shade but sometimes thats just not possible. I try to make sure I paint the relationships on my palette correctly that way the painting is created on the palette and little adjusting is needed later.

7. Laura Wambsgans says:
   May 27th, 2008 at 10:27 pm

   Elio, You are braver then the bravest to attempt such a huge canvas on site. AND it’s a lovely painting!

   Thank You

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