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Dakota Plein Air Pastel Equipment - How I Found My Groove And Painted In The Rain

8/4/2011 9:18:27 AM

The plan was to do most of my painting in the Adirondacks in oil.  I had a snazzy new backpack , it was a garage sale special but new to me.  This backpack has rugged wheels and a tall handle and all my painting equipment fit into one neat package.  What I did not count on was the rain, lots and lots of rain.  I only completed one oil painting during the week.  A couple of my sessions were sabotaged when the water would cascade into the pochade box and turn my oil paints into a sticky peanut butter consistency.  Any attempt to put oil paint a wet canvas meant that the oil would glop on the brush and not adhere to the painting surface.  I have an umbrella but with the wind blowing it meant that my entire set up could be tipped over.  There were many artists who worked in oil during the paint out and got gorgeous results but I was not one of them.

I had recently won a generous gift certificate to Dakota Pastels from the West Coast Pastel Society.  Among the supplies I got from them was their Large Deluxe Traveler and Field Easel .  Previously, I only attempted to work plein air with pastel a couple of times, but my equipment was either too bulky or too small and limited the amount of pastels I could bring.  I brought the set up with me to the paint out with the thought of "I'll try it".  I did and fell immediately in love.  Pastels are the medium I am most comfortable with and the new equipment allowed me to set up quickly and have a large supply of pastels on hand.   I even carried the entire thing up and down the 200 shaky steps that led to High Falls.  When it did rain it was easy enough to close up the box and either throw it under a tarp or my car.  I left the easel standing in the rain so when the weather broke I could quickly return to painting.  I worked on Wallis paper which can get wet and not warp.  A couple of the paintings got water spots but it added to the character of the work.

Painting at High Falls.  200 steps down and worth it!

I got the set up from Dakota to simplify the pastel portrait and color  workshops that I teach.   What joy to discover how easy it made painting plein air.

One Sunny Evening 9x12 pastel

  The only sunny evening of the paint out I went out alone to a local field with vistas of the mountains.   The light was low and hitting a series of white buildings in the distance.  The sky was moody with the clouds turning and tumbling as they sped across the tops of the mountains.  This was my first pastel and I was surprised how easily and quickly the painting went.  This is where I got hooked!

Gabriels at Sunset.  8x8 pastel

This is the same field.  The painting was done on top of an old painting which I had scrubbed out.  The roof was the exact color of the paper so I left that and painted around it.

Adirondack Paint Out - Daily routine

8/1/2011 11:30:47 AM

The Paint out was located in Paul Smith's College in the northern part of the Adirondack mountains of New York.  For weeks Eric Smith, the publisher of Plein Air Magazine had been sending information regarding lodging, food and supplies to bring.  The week before the event he sent a schedule and map listing all of the painting spots.   It was an extensive map with photos, directions, accessablity, everything that we would need.  Painters could either choose to go with a group or go off on their own.  Most participants did a mixture of both.

In the morning we would meet for breakfast, pack our lunches, and Eric would often address the group standing on a table and calling out "Good morning campers!"  Then it was off to paint.  The first couple of days Karen and I painted with the group going from one site to another.  Due to the rain we were unable to finish our paintings so we went on our own the last two days.  The Adirondacks are rural and then some.  Painting spots were often long distances away but part of the fun was driving down a roads and spotting painters all along the way.  I'm sure it was entertaining for the locals.

Karen Blackwood painting at St Regis Falls. 

After painting for the day we would return to the college for dinner and then one more painting session before dark.  The best part were the impromptu gatherings at night where artists would meet in the bar and place their paintings around the room.  What an experience to view great artwork of the same scene that everyone painted.  Artists were eager to talk with each other and share stories and techniques.  There was a feeling of giddyness to be around so many fellow plein air nerds.   That this was not a competition allowed the artists to relax and enjoy the experince for what it was, painting and sharing for the pure pleasure of painting and sharing.  What more could an aritst ask for?