Painting the Figure en Plein Air....and my Guinea Pigs.

 

"In Patti's Garden"

16 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

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What an awesome morning! As many of you know, I've been spending my Mondays painting with a great group of ladies - and as some of you may know, I'm teaching a plein air figure workshop in August. So... I thought I would use them as my guinea pigs, and take advantage of Patti's gorgeous garden, which she generously offered us, even though she is spending her week on a torturous death-march hiking the Rogue River trail.

We were lucky to get one of my favorite models, the lovely Ali. I was a bit nervous early on, especially about the weather - when we were arranging the pose, it was overcast and about 60º, though the day's forecast called for mid-70's and sunny. I encouraged Ali to wear a sweater - but thankfully, she overruled me. By the time we all got our drawings down, the sun was blazing and the mercury was rising!

By the start of the second hour, sunblock was being applied.

I felt a bit off at first, but quickly warmed up, literally and figuratively. (Bonus Pun!)

I invited Carol to join us today because I had a hunch it would be a blast. She finished two great sketches in the 3 hours we painted. Hopefully, this won't be the last time she paints with the Monday Ladies!

...And for those of you wondering about my recent whirlwind camping trip, here's the best photo I managed to take of the fun times. Gabriella and I admiring our gear in the swanky campground bathroom. Swanky, indeed - it had a mirror (and showers!)!

I Get Funny Looks

 "In the Rhododendron Garden"

8 x 10 inches, oil on canvas
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If you ever get a chance to visit Eugene, try to come in Spring. At least, try to come this spring - honestly, we usually have wall-to-wall rain until the 4th of July. Not this year! Most years, Mother's Day is Rhody day - the peak of bloom time. This year they are almost finished. I was happy to find these pink and red pals in all their glory, though. Do you ever think about how long plants like these live side by side, watching the seasons and decades come and go....?

Back to my tourism plug. If you come to Eugene, and if it's a glorious spring day, Hendricks Park is not-to-be-missed. Apparently there are hundreds of types of Rhododendrons, and you can see most of them there! (Travel Lane County, please send my check to: xxx0 xxx street, euge ---- oh just kidding.)

Here I attempt to show you the scene I was looking at, and how it eventually came to be a painting.

And here, I give you eye candy. Flowers are nice.

...And here, I demonstrate the best way to get funny looks from all passersby while plein air painting: not only wear a granny hat, but definitely, definitely smear red paint all over your face. Then act like it's completely normal.