Good Morning, Afternoon, and Good Night

A couple of weekends ago I had the single most productive day of plein air painting.  It was a plein air marathon.  I painted from 9am till 6pm.  There were no breaks.  It was one painting after the next.

My first painting had a more complicated foreground and took longer than expected.  This is the first time that I developed the agave in the foreground.  The painting measures 36x24 inches and was painted on board with pastel.

The conditions changed as I finished up the first painting.  The overcast conditions changed everything.  Usually the afternoon paintings in Laguna are sunny.  I really liked what the sky was doing. My focus was dialed in.  It is one thing to be in the zone for a couple of hours; but to maintain that focus over the course of eight hours was exhausting.  The overcast conditions made it a little easier because I wasn't having to battle lighting changes.  This plein air painting is 24x36 inches and is pastel on board.

 By the time I started the third painting of the day, the sun was beginning to set.  I do not consider myself a tight painter.  As each painting progressed so did my flow.  Everything just happened like I was on auto pilot.  As this painting progressed the lighting began to change quickly.  Usually I lock in the sky at the start, but I really loved what it was doing and I chased the light.  That is the beauty of pastel; you can react so quickly within the painting.  The rocks became more simplified as the day progressed.  I wanted to develop the water in the foreground the shapes and patterns were really attractive to me. This painting measures 24x24 inches and is a pastel on board.

The best day painting for me...ever.