Best friends show up while I paint

by YankeeJim | May 20, 2011 at 08:34 am

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I was in my favorite spot in the woods this morning, doing a painting.

A person asked, “Do you paint the same trees over and over again?”

I answered that I don’t know because I haven’t yet discovered all of the trees here. By that I mean, there are layers in the scene. Every time I look, I see something different.

Every time I finish a painting, I discover something that I wish I had done differently. I am a novice at watercolors and I will not likely ever run out of desire for more experience.

Yesterday, a woman came by and asked, “Are you finished with that one?”

Am I finished? What sort of question is that?

I replied, politely, “What do you think? Is it done? I don’t know. I can’t tell.”

She smiled and went on.

A fellow came by with his dog – real close. I liked the dog and I want to paint him, so I let the dog right up next to me as if I had a choice. The red setter nudged in for a head scratch as if I was sitting there just for him. I took his picture and then he was off.

I will paint him later. He won’t ask any questions.

“En plein air (French pronunciation: [ɑ̃ plɛˈnɛʁ]) is a French expression which means "in the open air", and is particularly used to describe the act of paintingoutdoors.

Artists have long painted outdoors, but in the mid-19th century working in natural light became particularly important to the Barbizon school and Impressionism. The popularity of painting en plein air increased in the 1870s with the introduction of paints in tubes (resembling modern toothpaste tubes). Previously, each painter made their own paints by grinding and mixing dry pigment powders with linseed oil. The Newlyn School in England is considered another major proponent of the technique in the latter 19th century.”