Author: Cheryl

 

I think that every artist experiences this… the mind that won’t turn off. You can hardly look at anything without analysing the values, shapes, or colours. You ponder exactly which mixture you would use to try to match the colour in the sky. You are chatting with someone and find yourself momentary distracted by the lovely shape of the shadows along their cheek line. It means that you find something interesting to see almost everywhere – the negative space between the branches of the tree, the shape of the shadows cast from a plant in a waiting room. I went through a period a few years back when I felt that I would like to turn it off for awhile, and just veg, but that rarely happened. Mostly these days, I go with the flow and simply enjoy the constant visual feast all around. How about you? Do you experience the restless mind of an artist forever analysing the colours and forms of the world? 

So many dynamic techniques are covered during the Wet & Wild Week that most of us go home at the end of the week with a number of paintings on the go. Today’s featured painting by art student Shelley Mercer is one such painting. Shelley began with a wet flow of colour and after the first layer had dried, she saw the hint of flower shapes. Many adjustment layers later, the painting was really shaping up in class, but not quite done. When Shelley sent me the photo of the completed painting, I just loved it, and I thought that you would enjoy seeing it too. Don’t you agree – it’s lovely! “Tulips” by Shelley Mercer. 

It’s called “En Plein Air” and it means “in the open air” referring to taking your paints and canvases out there and painting. It became very popular in the late 1800’s. This was the time of the impressionists, and Monet was a pioneer and advocate of this practice. What are the advantages? Among those who really love this practice, there is the love of the elements: wind, sun, and good old fresh air, and the feeling that experiencing them first hand while painting the landscape in front of them helps to give a truer interpretation of the scene. Plein air enthusiasts also are up for challenges – the primary one being the fact that the light changes as time passes. There is some urgency in getting the brush strokes down to capture an elusive moment in time. That can be a good thing – it helps avoid fussing over details. Most of all, it’s fun. With a comfortable lawn chair along, what’s not to love about setting up in the garden or on the beach, enjoying the day and trying to match some colour to what you see? And not to worry if you don’t have a standing easel. If you work smaller, many painters are content to have their watercolour paper or canvas in their lap. For those of you who love to do this, and for those who may never have tried it but would like to, I am offering a 1 week Painting on Location class from August 12 to 16. We will choose from a number of different beautiful locations in and around London. The classroom at Hillside Church will be available for any inclement weather days. Here’s the link to all the information: Cheryl O’s Art Courses.  Would you like to join us?