adventures in painting out of doors amongst the bugs, dirt and mud, in the heat, cold and wind
Saturday, October 17, 2009
recycled sky
10"x8" oil on RayMar panel...This was completed using the 'recycled sky' from a previous painting (see October 16th post). Both days were gray and overcast with scattered showers. I'm thinking about recycling other less than satisfactory plein air studies...letting the sky and foliage show through to the new painting.
En plein air is a French expression which means "in the open air,” and is particularly used to describe the act of painting outdoors.
Artists have long painted outdoors. 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.
French Impressionist painters such as Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, and Pierre –Auguste Renoir advocated en plein air painting, and much of their work was done outdoors, in the diffuse light provided by a large white umbrella.
Alla prima is a painting technique that literally means "at first." It describes a piece of art that the artist completes in one sitting. Alla prima artists start by making a rough drawing with only a few tones of paint. Later, details and more colors are added. Alla prima is a good way to paint landscapes, and can also be used to create portraits and still life paintings.
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