Back Bay Plein Air Practice

 

Under the Gazebo

I got down there early because I knew parking was going to be tough.  I couldn't believe that I got the very first parking spot.

I was able to set up without having to wait for people to move.  I remember getting kicked out once because of a wedding.  

It was so hot.  I was thankful that I could be in the shade for the four hours I spent painting.

The scene that I was painting did not give the best view of Rock Pile so I had to change up the focus of the painting.

Here is the block in of the painting and the general composition of the painting.

The following detail shots are intended to show the abstract nature of the mark making in the painting.  

A lot of pastelists blend their marks with any number of  techniques.  I am not a blender.  Color and shape are created by layer upon layer of marks.  Each mark placed over another mark to create the desired shape, color, and intensity.

The idea of shape being created by what it is and what it isn't.  The palm tree fronds are created by painting their shapes but it is also created by the shape of the air surrounding them.

The detail shot allows you to see the color of the underpainting and the grain of the panel running vertically.

Iris in Bloom

Iris in bloom is a goauche painting on hot press paper.  My inspiration was the abstract shapes of the flowers in contrast to the shapes of the leaves.

This shot shows the interaction between light and dark interaction in the painting.  Preserving or not painting parts of the paper defines the shapes and the highlights.

 

What you dont paint defines the shapes within the painting as much as what you do paint.  So the question becomes what to paint and what not to paint. 

The interaction between the dark background and the subject is created by deciding what to paint and what not to paint.  The lightest lights are areas where there is no paint

The overlapping colors of the leaves and the dappled light required me to work from the back of the painting to the front.

The shapes of the leaves defining the shape of the background and the shape of the background defining the shapes of the leaves.

Filling in the blanks.  Are the areas with no paint in them defining my vision of this composition or do they require attention?  The middle of the painting feels like the background should come lower into the painting to define the interaction between what is a leaf and the dark emptiness that says what the leaf isnt.

The idea of notan defining the shapes within the painting by defining what the painting isn't.  The negative shape defining the positive shape.

 Here the over abundance of areas with no paint make this area more confusing than it should be.  The idea of the flower shapes are hard to follow because what the aren't is not well defined.  It is like saying what you are is defined partially by what you are not.

Again And Again

 As I continue to paint this location over and over again, I keep finding more to express.  The level of detail keeps increasing.  The ability to include more elements within the painting, and to be able to explore color further is only possible because of all the paintings that came before.  It is whatever it can be within a three hour window. I never go back to work on the painting a second time, and I don't work on it in the studio.

Music to Paint By