Monday, June 3, 2013

Plein Aire Painting in Davis



Just finished teaching a 5 week watercolor course and it was a success.  I actually got people outside several times to experience plein aire painting.  They all agreed that it is more difficult than painting from a photo.  It was especially difficult to edit what you see and simplify.  Many had their greatest challenge with perspective and wanted to know how I do it.  This was difficult to answer since I rarely think about it.  I choose the tallest structure in my composition and then sketch what goes off to the right and left.  My left brain supplies the logic and my right does the creative thing.  Overall, it was appreciated that you could see details and value changes that were not there in a photo.  When you sketch and add color to your sketch on location, you go back to the studio and it is just as you remember.  That doesn't happen with a photo.
When I do a sketch, I give it a name so I have a record of what story I was trying to tell.

There is such gratification from my teaching.  I love doing it.

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