VESUVIUS PLEIN AIR
Spent a lovely weekend on Salt Spring and went out plein air painting three times! Here’s the lowdown on one of those outings.
My Dad and I headed for Vesuvius. It was overcast but we were determined to get out and paint. (My Mum was holed up in her studio working on a massive portrait commission – no fun time for her!)
What to paint, what to paint? We headed towards Vesuvius Beach and as we stopped the car, I looked across the bay and saw this:
I liked the look of the yellow building against all the grayness. I also liked the pattern the trees made against the hills in the distance. At first I thought I might do a vertical:
But in the end, I liked the blue hills and all the tree ‘activity’ against it, so I went to the horizontal.
By now I decided I was just picking away at the pastel. Really, it was time to pack up and then look at it in the studio. I turned around to see what my Dad was up to only to find him sketching from the car. Certainly, it was the warmest place to be on this rather chilly grey day.
Back in the studio, I pondered the piece and then worked on the parts I felt needed help. (The final image looks different from the others as the ones on site were taken with my iphone and the one in the studio was taken inside with my Canon.) Here’s the pastel all done:
I am really quite pleased with the pastel. It was so great to find something to paint en plein air as we hadn’t held out much hope on such a dark dull day. But you can see that it IS possible to find something to paint on a grey day.
RED
Tomorrow night we are off to see Red at the Belfry Theatre. It’s about painter Mark Rothko and the year (1958) he painted the Seagram murals. I’m an admirer of Rothko’s work and I’ve heard the play is excellent so I can’t wait!!! I’ll let you know about it in my next blog. Click on this link to give you an idea of what the paintings look like.
You know I’d love to hear from you – just click the comment link below the blog. What do you think of the pastel? What’s your experience painting en plein air? Have you been to see the play ‘Red’?
Thanks for reading!
~ Gail
“When painting and sketching plein air I sink into the landscape, an attuned witness to its mood and beauty.” Dianne Bersea
4 thoughts on “Plein air painting on Salt Spring Island – Vesuvius on a cloudy day”
Loved the bright colours on such a dull day. Your comments on the play will be interesting.
It was a fun day out no matter what the weather and it’s always nice to come home with something done whether it worked out or not.
Hi Gail, Your painting makes me homesick for BC. It is beautiful. I am originally from the Vancouver area and now live in Missouri. I actually met you at the Salt Spring Island farmers market in 2006 when I was there with 3 friends on a painting trip. Great to see you are still creating beautiful works. Michele Wells
Hi Michelle, Yes, I do remember when you came by the market with friends. That seems a long time ago. Thanks for checking out my blog and for taking the time to comment. And glad you like the paintings! 🙂