It's a long drive home from Tucson to Atlanta but we are almost there. Our three week adventure is coming to an end. I am filled to the brim with inspiration and ideas. My wheels are turning! I have so much to share from tips to new supplies to new paintings.....it's hard to know where to begin. I think I will start with laundry and then take pictures of my paintings. I am planning some blog posts to take you more in depth into the trip. I will share them with you in the coming days.
I will leave you with a thought......many see the desert as brown, dry and dull. I saw a desert filled with color and it wasn't just the occasional cactus flower. I saw color and beauty everywhere. I was captivated by the big skies and wide open spaces. Plein air is all about seeing what things look like live and in person....how the light effects colors and how simply being present in a place effects the way you see it. Photos can't tell the whole story. Look at the photo above and my painting of the same place done en Plein air. It is an eye opening comparison. And while I knew the importance of Plein air work, this trip has made it even more clear.
Stay tuned for more from the adventure.
Visit www.twowanderingartists.com for more on our trip
Hi Karen
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed following BOTH of your blogs during your trip. I don't know how you do everything! I think it was in your travel posts you mentioned taking spare parts for your Julian Easel? I have hunted all over for spare parts. Can you tell me where to find some?
Thanks so much.
Wonderful piece! I just spent a week in Prescott, AZ. (North of Phoenix) We are moving there soon. Took photos of everything.
ReplyDeleteLoved your post, and looking forward to more. I saw color everywhere as well. Greens, rust and orange... purple... yellows. Just wonderful!
Happy painting to you Karen!
You are so right about color and photos. I've been through the desert recently in my move to Arkansas and it was much closer to your painting than your photo. I've seen it many times in my life and it's one of those terrains that cameras can't do justice to. But they're good for detail and structures, good to jog the memory.
ReplyDeleteI've got a plein air in progress of one of many paintable views on our land and it's a lot brighter than the photos even though it's got so much green. Cameras will give a bright green but don't catch all the nuances of dark greens and olives and blue-greens, let alone the one tree that's got bits of orange in it. I had to do it in person.
To me it's not just the difference between the photo and the real place, but between the place and the painting. Unless we have really dramatic subjects like bright flowers, natural scenery painted in local color is like the photo: dull and predictable. While nature may be breathtaking in person, it only translates into a good painting when we interpret and enhance color by innovation and bold experiment.
ReplyDeleteI can hardly wait
ReplyDeleteYou are such an inspiration for me. God Bless. Really enjoyed Marsha and your blog...