Southern Plein Air Painters

What Kind of Day by BJ Wright

2009-07-14T15:23:00.001-04:00

7"x5" oil on RayMar panel, painted en plein air, alla prima, on July 9th (completed 9:35am)....$35 including shipping...I let the shapes of the tree and grasses dictate the direction of this little painting. Upon closer investigation, the reflected light at lower right/center appeared as the center of a breaking ocean wave.

Sunrise photos from the deck with deer

2009-07-14T08:08:00.003-04:00

Today I choose not to paint, but take a series of photos of the sunrise with a deer watching, I shot about 100 photos over a 30 minute period. Normally my camera will not capture the colours and be over exposed......today I'm going out to get a filter!

A Different Kind of Day by BJ Wright

2009-07-13T18:46:00.000-04:00

8"x10" oil on RayMar panel, painted en plein air, alla prima, on July 7th (completed at 10:30am)...$85 including shipping...The morning began soft and dream-like. As the sun rose over the mountain, shadows deepened and colors popped. I saw the gravel road as a stream, so I painted it as such.

15 Minute Sunrise # 107

2009-07-12T08:41:00.004-04:00

Hi all, This morning I had some new colours to play with....HOC H212 Scarlet Lake and Williamsburg (handmade...proof by the price)Fanchon Red or Rouge Vermillonn`e. I have two problems the sun and a pot of geraniums...need I say more!

I like both of these colours, because of the pigment saturation. The Scarlet Lake in this instance was more useful....still trying to get the hot coral colour I'm really after! I think it will probably come from using copal glazes. I used 1/2" and #8 Royal soft grip SG4020 Filbert...short handle, which gives the 8x10 study a different softer look. It was partly cloudy with a blue grey colouring. The mid-ground field is almost always a pop-out feature. The nice thing about this view....I can either have trees or not, simply by moving around the garden.

I used a cadmium yellow deep toned panel....I think it was a mistake!

Morning Stretch by BJ Wright

2009-07-11T14:32:00.001-04:00

7"x5" oil on RayMar panel, painted en plein air, alla prima, on July 7th (completed at 8:18am)...$35 including shipping...The clouds were changing colors faster than I could mix the paint and put brush to canvas. Nature painted the sky and this mere mortal painted a canvas.

Soft Morning by BJ Wright

2009-07-10T14:59:00.000-04:00

8"x10" oil on RayMar panel, painted en plein air, alla prima, on July 7th (completed at 8:00am)...$95 including shipping....The clouds were banked in a myriad of colors as the sun struggled over the mountain. Photography of this particular painting was difficult. The yellows are much softer and purples are more muted in the original. Apparently I'm entering the 'purple period' of my painting career...it seems to emerge in my more recent works.

Whitman House, Ringgold, GA

2009-07-08T17:14:00.001-04:00

General Sherman spent the night in this house. He was a gracious guest but the owner wouldn't accept his money. She only wanted Conferate money. He is said to have made the comment "She hasn't lost yet" about the Civil War.
Originally before the new Ringgold City Hall was built, the Depot could be seen from the upstairs window. That's why I painted this corner. Not to mention the light was right on it.

Cupcake

2009-07-08T17:09:00.001-04:00

I had already named this "Cupcake" and the title was confirmed by a man walking his dog in the park this morning.
I still had on my painting apron as I trudged down the steps with my "wheelie" cart. He commented that I must be a cook. Well, then I decided to call it a chocolate cupcake...it looks so brown with the sun in my eyes. I admit I took a little license and moved the sun a bit and didn't move my shadows. I am blind, needless to say. BJ wasn't there to loan me her umbrella and I had left mine in the car. I had already trekked down the road, up through the field and back to the car and back again for my cell phone just in case BJ called. And I decided to paint quickly. I painted this very quickly in about 30 minutes. Well, obviously!!!!

Crown Cotton Mills

2009-07-08T17:05:00.001-04:00

We posted last Tuesday (on the blog Painting Georgia) that BJ and I would be painting at Crown Cotton Mills which is now made into condominums. The managers were very hospitable to us and we hope we may get a show there in the winter.
I didn't complete the crown on the spire to my satisfaction but hope to return to do another and get it right next time.

Front Porch Geraniums

2009-07-08T17:02:00.001-04:00

Compare this to the beginning of the day. I worked on this around 10 pm last night. I couldn't leave it alone. I hope I kept enough of the AC/Burnt Umber undertones. That was what I was striving for in this painting.
What cha think?

Fuschia Geraniums

2009-07-08T17:00:00.001-04:00

Monday morning's private lesson consisted of painting a mass of flowers. It was so much fun! So much color to play with, I got out the Magenta Radiant by Gamblin.

Hannah Stands Against the Maple Tree

2009-07-08T16:57:00.000-04:00

Grandaughter Hannah modeled for me for about 15 minutes. Then I asked her to come back for about 5 more. She said her foot got into a cramp standing against the root of the tree. She doesn't want me to finish this because she likes it the way it is.

Tunnel Hill Haybales

2009-07-08T16:53:00.000-04:00

Some days it takes a small canvas to get me going. Hopefully this one did it. Enjoyed painting in the Tunnel Hill Heritage Park with BJ one morning this week.

three this morning

2009-07-07T14:22:00.000-04:00

I did 3 plein air pieces this morning, but photographic conditions were terrible after I got them home. I set them into frames and shot them with indoor lighting...bad indoor lighting. The next best thing was to render the image into black and white, and hope for better photographic lighting soon.

Pink Morning Blooms by Sandra Babb

2009-07-07T14:01:00.002-04:00

11"x14" oil, painted en plein air (about 95% completed) here. Sandra's geraniums brightened the table just outside the shuttered window of the old general store.

15 Minute Sunrise # 98 - Study in black

2009-07-07T10:28:00.004-04:00

12x12 Oil on canvas panel en Plein Air - Cadmium yellow deep under-painted - # 18 sable blend bright- new colour - Lamp black - Chilly, clear skies with a heavy pastel dew, lasted for at least 40 minutes.....perfect for an impressionist painter!

I changed the photo, the original was washed out.

blues, yellows, reds

2009-07-06T16:25:00.000-04:00

7"x5" oil done while playing around with blues, yellows and reds. The morning sunlight was absolutely orange when it hit the hay bales and crib corner. Beyond the distant misty field, the mountain was blue/purple. The tree bark was shining almost red. This was a fun little piddly, cartoony way to spend time listening to the birds.

15 Minute Sunrise # 85

2009-07-06T09:12:00.002-04:00

The second of two 8x10 panels en Plein Air on 6/27/09

From the deck in 15 minutes # 93

2009-07-05T10:26:00.003-04:00

8x10 Olive (scraps) toned canvas panel ...limited palette of cerulean blue, cad yellow and medium and dioxazine purple and a touch of white and cad red. My brush was an #18 sable blend bright. Today its raining so the deck will have nice reflections :=)

Kaleidoscope Morning by BJ Wright

2009-07-04T13:56:00.001-04:00

8"x10" oil on RayMar panel, painted en plein air, alla prima, on July 3rd (completed at 8:25am).....$100 including shipping...What a wonderful morning to be a plein air painter! It was perfect, perfect. I chose to include just a few hay bales which were scattered across the meadow. The sun hit the red foliage just as I was adding the final touches.

From the deck in 15 minutes # 94

2009-07-04T07:15:00.003-04:00

The typical 8x10 is too small for this scene. Today, I was only able to get familiar with the colour range. I also get more time to play, because of the foreground trees...some of which are about to bloom a nice pink. When the sun hits, the blooms sparkle and are tipped with hot yellow orange. Today I used a #18 synthetic soft bristle Filberte (I prefer blended sable brights) and a # 6 bright for the smaller calligraphy detail.

Morning Shadows by BJ Wright

2009-07-03T13:33:00.000-04:00

7"x5" oil on RayMar panel, painted en plein air, alla prima, on June 25th (completed at 8:15am)...$30 including shipping...The early morning sunlight cast a wonderful yellow/orange glow...but it was gone in a flash. Just enough time for a small one.

a perfect morning

2009-07-03T13:08:00.000-04:00

Sandra paints hay bales on a perfect morning at the Tunnel Hill (GA) battlefield.

From the deck in 15 minutes # 92

2009-07-03T09:10:00.005-04:00

I used a thin cadmium red toned background (too light). Over the last month I've been reducing my palette. Currently it consists of yellow-pale, cadmium yellow-deep, orange and red, permanent green light, cerulean blue, dioxane purple and of course titanium soft white. I use a wide range of cadmium's, because it's easier. The only color I would add back is French Ultramarine. I also use a toned disposable palette by Stephen Quiller. My brush work is deliberately more impasto and towards palette knife. While these might be sell-able, my only objective , is to study colour relationships to each other and light.

From the deck in 15 minutes # 90

2009-07-02T06:29:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, I started a new series from our back deck - this is fair warning to my neighbors - careful what you hang on your line....:=)