Stormy Skies, Autumn - Plein air at Barn Island

6"x8" oil on linen mounted on archival board

Click here for more information about this painting, or to purchase.

I was going through my recent  plein air paintings and found a couple that I had not blogged about yet! Bummer, because I've found it to be the best way to chronicle works over time.  And of course, this started around Thanksgiving, when I somehow allow the rush of the holidays to disrupt everything, rather than to just go with the flow.  Like swimming, you don't want to panic in the water - instead, just relax and go with it.  

On this particular day (October 17th, 2012) I had painted another one just before this (High Tide Before The Storm, see blog post of Oct. 17th, 2012). When I finished, I turned my easel in the opposite direction and the passing cloud cover was truly fascinating.  I finished this just as a line of showers came through.  Cleaned up & made it to the car before getting soaked! Now that was a good day of painting!

Incoming Storm, Plein Air Sol Legare Road

6"x8" oil on Belgian linen mounted on panel

$200

Buy It Now

On this morning during our stay in Folly Beach, SC it was really overcast, but I thought I might be able to get a painting completed before the storm rolled in. I had scouted out some locations nearby like the end of the Bowen's Island Road. But the next road north of that I believe is Sol Legare Road. At the very end of the long lane is a boat ramp that drops out into the creeks amidst the surrounding marshes.  Every point in the day or any kind of weather holds its own special beauty, but stormy skies over the marshes always fascinate me. The dark clouds were rolling in, and quickly changing their shapes. I knew I didn't have long to make decisions about this painting. I chose a simple sky study again - the rapid changes and the brilliant green of the grasses across the water were so compelling. 

I was almost done when a mist of a rain sprinkle started....quick, finish those last decisive strokes of paint - BOOM! - Now it was pouring and time to pack it all up! Luckily, I have lots of practice at keeping the gear easy to manage! Thunder and lightening is no place to be out painting in! Whew!

Back of the Dunes

8"x10" oil on Belgian linen mounted on archival board

I am always pleasantly surprised at the wonderful 'abstract' shapes in a landscape that you see when you squint your eyes down to see just the values.

Even on a gray, misty, overcast day, there is some wonderful color in the dried out grasses along the back of the dune. And yes, it's one of my favorite painting spots, over at Waterford Beach Park, the little path before you walk out to the beach, back in the marshy area. I finished this painting before the mist turned to a light rain. It was a wonderful morning of 'information gathering' with some good ideas tucked away in my memory to use for a larger studio painting, that I'll be sharing in an upcoming blog post!

Contact me here, for more information about this painting!

Incoming Front Over Ledge Light - sold!!

8"x10" oil on Belgian linen mounted on archival panel

"Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man's growth without destroying his roots."

-Frank Howard Clark

Tuesday morning I went out in hopes of painting before the rains came. I was certainly lucky as I got just what I was after! Interesting cloud shapes and color filled the sky over the Wetlands Overlook at Waterford Beach. Looking out toward the Long Island Sound, I could see Ledge Light in the distance, where just the day before everything was enveloped in a very thick fog.


I had mentioned in a previous post about keeping your plein air gear light for travel. This is whether you're flying to a far destination, or just hiking in to your local park. It's all too easy to try stuffing 'just one more thing' into your bag/backpack. If you've got to carry that any distance, you'll be tired & regretting it before you even set up to paint. Over the years I've tried just about everything out there on the market until I finally came upon this combination. An 8x10 Open Box M easel/palette screws right onto a simple camera tripod (not a heavy one either, just a very basic one (got it for under $20 years ago). I have a little sack attached to the legs for laying rocks in for weight if it's a bit windy. If you're trying to paint in a gale, well, suffer the consequences...wind is just about the worst problem to deal with when painting outdoors. Keeping it simple is still the best idea. If you're determined to 'gut-it-out' in wind, you could detach the small box from the easel & hold it.

Other supplies that fit into this pack are an 8"x10" Raymar wet panel box, it holds 3 panels, but for most nearby outings I just take 2 panels. I bring 2 different palette knives, a couple bulldog clips to hold my trash bag onto the set-up, Kleenex, paper towels, a small container of wet-wipes/baby-wipes (yes they are GREAT for getting paint off your skin). In summer I bring a small bug-spray. I try to remember a water bottle, & a camera, but I've left home without them & it's been fine. For paints, I take a warm & cool of each primary, plus white. If you're working with a palette knife, you don't need any medium, solvents, and clean-up is so much simpler. The little rolling back-pack I found at Wal-Mart ($35 if I remember correctly), allowing you to roll it if you're in an area with sidewalks or hoist it up on your back if you have to hike into an area. This has been the most versatile set-up I've used over the years, and of course, may get tweaked over time as all things seem to. And of course, there's no "one WAY" to rig your set-up, what-ever works for YOU is the key thing! Hope it helps you if you're looking to lighten your load and get out to paint more often!