Saturday morning SOCALPAPA had their plein air Quick Draw ahead of their annual Back Bay Art Show. I had gone and painted a couple of times to paint in the weeks leading up to the event. In preparation for the event I created a fairly extensive checklist of things to do. The worst feeling at an event is to not be prepared or have all of your essential tools at hand.
I paint quickest in pastel. My style seems more unique compared to the other mediums I paint in. The surface I paint on is also unique. I make my own surface from plywood, pumice gel, and acrylic paint. I believe this gives me an advantage in compositions because I am able to paint larger than my competitors.
Since I had painted this scene a couple of times earlier I was able to improve on my earlier efforts and take what I did best from each painting. The practice pieces also helped me manage my time. I worked basically from top to bottom and back to front. I knew when to paint each part of the painting to catch the light I was looking for because the clouds broke at basically the same time on my practice rounds.
I finished the clouds as the sun broke down the June gloom. I invested the most time in the background so that my ariel perspective read correctly. The painting progressed in mark making from small to large. As time was running out I moved to the foreground and finished in a flurry. The foreground was so detailed and dynamic. It could have been intimidating but it wasn't because I purposely don't give myself enough time to second guess my decision making at the end. I build to a crescendo.
"Morning Heat" plein air pastel on board 24x24.
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