I am not a fan of plein air painting…. there I said it. It is very hard to do for me. I typically get a rough painting on the canvas, let it dry overnight, then work on the painting till its done. Unfortunately if you keep mixing paint, you end up with what artists refer to as “mud”. So moving wet paint around a canvas can be pretty difficult for me. So Plein air has always been daunting. Nevermind lugging all your equipment, dealing with the elements, and being on display while you paint. All tough for me!
But it looks like the universe was giving me a push this year! My daughter is starting an AP art class for her senior year, and on her list of things to do this summer is paint plein air. Plein Air painting would be a much different experience with my daughter. So we packed up our art supplies and headed to a local farm that has stunning sunflower fields.
If you have not painted plein air, one tip I have always found helpful was to cut the canvas shape out on a piece of paper, and use it to frame your painting. So helpful!
After picking her view, my daughter sat down at her easel to paint, and I immediately was inspired. Why not paint my daughter?
I did what I could at the site, and will add a few more details once it dries. Overall it was a great painting day, with only a few casualties of bugs flying into my painting. So if you are an artist, and thinking about painting Plein Air, I encourage you to try! It is always great to step out of your comfort zone, and I certainly did today!
If you would like to see these sunflower fields, there is a festival this weekend, July 20-21st. It is located at Buttonwoods Farm, off of Rte 165 in Griswold. They sell bouquets of sunflowers, and the proceeds go to the Make a wish foundation. As an added bonus they also sell delicious ice cream! So if you are local to Griswold, Ct, you should make the trip!
