Stroke Limit Exercise ~ Potomac Artworks

10.01.2008

Stroke Limit Exercise

Then watch your instructor paint and be in awe of the atmospheric results.

Start her recommended exercise: simplify and record the colors and values of the scene in 20 strokes. Work small. This is a 4x6 white Pastelboard.

Think about doing the same exercise in the 50 stroke option, but choose instead to tackle that sky on your own. This is 8x10 Pastelboard, probably gray.

3 comments:

Charlatan said...: This technique is exactly like MacPherson - "fill your oil paintings with light and color" - he has so many wonderful exercises like this example.

Much love and thank you for you advice, encouragement and wisdom!; October 5, 2008 at 8:01 PM
Bonnie said...: Thanks so much for giving me the source of this exercise! I have his next book about painting outside. I should buy his first, too.

Congrats on all your winnings. You are becoming a dynasty. You get to bask in a "Best In Show!"; October 6, 2008 at 4:00 PM
Tara said...: Oh wow, I love those bottom two paintings! The last one is my favorite. Awesome job!; October 7, 2008 at 10:21 PM

The Charm of en Plein Air

Much of my work is done en plein air, French for "in the open air." People often associate it with the Impressionists, but the move to paint outside preceded them by a number of decades. The trend to appreciate landscapes as a genre at all was new for the time.

Several characteristics contribute to the distinctive beauty of en plein air painting. They are generally smaller in size in order to be able to capture a scene in a single sitting. Because of the time limit and environmental factors such as the sun and shadows moving, they often lack extensive details and might appear slightly fuzzy or unfinished. Lastly, they tend to have a freshness and spontaneity which makes them impossible to compare to traditional and methodological studio work. That said, my own studio work tends toward the same feel as en plein air, which then identifies my overall style: softness with an edge.

My aim when painting en plein air is for alla prima paintings, which roughly translates for me as "what happens outside, stays outside." It adds another level of difficulty to the work.

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10.01.2008