Monday, July 08, 2013

Diary of a Plein Air Painter #19



4x4in. Oil on linen/panel

Available Here


First Day of Summer

"Raspberry bushes dance happily as their blossoms announce the arrival of summer."

Debbie Lamey-MacDonald





Friday, June 21, 2013
MacLellan's Brook, Nova Scotia.

9:00-10:45 a.m.

Finally on the first official day of summer I have escaped life's duties and returned to one of my old haunts. It is my first plein air painting of the season after a cold and rainy Spring. I have decided to paint a miniature painting to get reacquainted with the rhythm of being on location again.

Raspberry Blossoms, MacLellan's Brook, Nova Scotia


This morning as I drove down an old lane I was attracted to the abundance of raspberry blossoms swaying in a gentle breeze. I liked the grayish background and how they rhythmically arced to and fro with flicks of white blossoms scattered along their branches. They reminded me of butterflies and seemed to be happy to dance about.


Almost Finished!

My goal was to capture their movement and wildness omitting fine detail so as not to look laboured. Fresh strokes of paint without fiddling was necessary. This was an easy painting to go " too far" in completing, which would result in losing its freshness. I had to mentally tell myself to stop painting and resist the urge to add a bit more detail or flicks of paint. Knowing when to stop painting is a discipline in itself!


 Photo of the scenery around me

It was such a joy to be back out on location! How I have missed having all my senses engaged and the solitude of nature. Cheers to future outings!

Warmly,
Debbie

P.S. As I painted in the open field, butterflies fluttered past me, while bees buzzed close by. A gentle breeze made the trees rustle softly and helped keep the black flies at bay.




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2 comments:

  1. Beautiful!I love how you dance with the canvas :O)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What a nice comment! Thank you Shannon. :D

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