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Finding the Painting in the Landscape
After a long hiatus from plein air painting I had an opportunity to spend the day testing out my new 30 piece Basic Landscape Pastel Set from Terry Ludwig. There was a thick coating of snow on the ground and I went looking for a building with character or a gestural tree to paint. The forecast called for a sunny winter day and I had visions of using the colorful palette to capture blue shadows stretching across a sparkling white field. What I got instead was a sky of leaden gray that was the exact same value as the snow. These conditions are common for my part of Michigan and create a subtle beauty. We do not have awe inspiring landforms or grand great lakes in my corner of the state.
After driving around searching for inspiration I was getting frustrated. The gray sky and snow did not excite me and areas I wanted to get to had not been plowed. I decided the only way I was going to get a painting that day was to change my attitude. Rather than search for the perfect landscape to paint I would find the painting in the landscape by using visual language to create the composition. Visual language is identifying a composition by shape, value, edge, and color. You can read more about visual language in a previous blog post.
I pulled into the parking lot of a local state park and decided whatever scene was in the driver’s window would be the painting. There was a lake surrounded by oak trees and brush. The sky and snow offered contrast to the rhythm of the trees and understory. Color-wise the landscape was ishy. The brightest colors belonged to the muted reds of the frozen oak leaves. Yellowish grass and greenish trunks complemented the red. The hills behind the lake receded into a dusty blue. All those gray tones challenged the bright primary colors of the set and meant I would have to do a lot of mixing with the limited palette. However, once I identified the big light dark pattern and the colors that would fit into those values I could get down to work. You can see the steps below.
The scene from my drivers window. I was wimpy and painted from the front seat of my Honda Fit. It was cramped but I stayed warm.
The set up: the box of Terry Ludwig Landscape Pastels fits nicely into my Easy-L box. I brought along 3 extra lights for the snow.
Once the light/dark pattern is established I focus on the edges and how the values and colors transition into each other.
Here is the finished painting. "Try Out" 6x8 Pastel. It is for sale in the "Little Gems" portfolio on my website.
Plein air is a test of an artist’s resolve. Often what I envision painting when I set out is different than what reality offers. The goal of the plein air painter is to find the painting in the landscape.
I will be teaching a plein air workshop in Toledo, Ohio called Finding the Painting in the Landscape. The workshop will be held in August of 2014 and is hosted by the Toledo Arts Club which is located on the grounds of the beautiful Toledo Botanical Gardens. Details will be posted on my website soon!
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