January 6, 2011 - Happy New Year everyone! I paint plenty of summer, spring & fall plein air paintings, but I am a wimp when it comes to painting outdoors in the winter. Usually, if I paint landscapes in the winter, I sit in my car with heat on, and paint little studies using watercolor and gouache. Well, today I decided to try out my "Winter" set-up to see if I could manage an outdoor oil.
In the top picture, you can see my set-up. I am using an Open Box M easel that is attached to a tripod. Jack made the little palette box, and I premixed 6 strings of colors in 6 value steps. I have the easel opened all the way, so that the mixing area is fairly vertical. Jack made the panel, and it is coated with homemade gesso from Sarti chalk, which is somewhat absorbent, and toned with rabbit skin glue and dry pigment.
My footwear wasn't really adequate for the cold, so I put down a foam mat to stand on, so it could insulate me from the snow. I wore thin woolen gloves, but handwarmers would have helped.
I painted for around 1 hour and 25 minutes, or until my fingers were too stiff and cold to move, and the result is this little 8"x10" study. It was a fun start to the new year and I hope to do many more winter plein air studies!
5 comments:
It is the winter evening sky that is the only thing that really compels me to want to paint. I can never get enough of it. Wish I could come watch you paint it. Maybe I will get mom over to help me.
Great stuff Karen.
I think those little hand warmer packets are in order...
Are you using mittens?
I love your work.
Painting in the snow! Well, we have plenty of it! My blog has the same name....maybe I'll do something about that since I bet you were first. Best regards.
Thanks, Heather, Jeff and Tim! Robert, I didn't know you could get the same blog name. That is weird. Does it have the same address?
Post a Comment