Sweetgrass Plein Air Paint-out

Sweetgrass Rain

8x10 acrylic on masonite en plein air

Someone said, "If you want to end a drought, plan a plein air event!" Boy, was that the truth for the Sweetgrass Plein Air Paint Out on July 15, 2011. If the Blowing Rock community was a little water deficient, it certainly got cured that day. It poured rain for what seemed like forever. Not wanting to waste the experience, I put on my coat and hat and grabbed the umbrella for some rainy day plein air painting!

Here I am painting the "Sweetgrass Rain" scene. Photo by Scott Boyle.

Boone Fork Creek

8x10 acrylic on masonite en plein air

Boone Fork Creek that runs through the Sweetgrass community was the subject of my second painting of the day. Fellow artists, Scott Boyle and Craig Franz, and I found this neat little spot to set up and paint. This was one of those places that your first reaction is "Nice spot!" but after 45 minutes into the painting you're contemplating, "What was I thinking??" 

I struggled with this painting mainly because the values were so close. It was in the shadows with no overhead sunlight due to the rainy weather. If this scene were on a gray-scale or a black and white photo, there would be very little contrast between the lights, midtones and darks. So, it was an exercise in painting contrasts using colors rather than values. Every painting is a learning experience.

Thanks to artist, Kevin Beck, for hosting the event, and Sue from Blowing Rock Realty for catering to some 25 artists. Check out Charlotte Plein Air Painters if you're interested in these type of events.