The other day I decided to scout around for possible locations for painting. The one part of the park has a good amount of thickets and a small brook running thru it. I watched as a mink worked his way along the bank looking for food. This is where I'll start tomorrow.
I went in the afternoon enjoying the 63 degree temps as I painted. I found a section of the brook to start at and did an 8x10. When I got home I refined the rest of the painting.
An important part of painting outdoors is having one or two locations close by so it makes it easy to visit them often. Luckily I have a few of these parks to paint at.
Another point is to have your outside equipment organized and ready to go. I've learned this the hard way more than once. Its no fun getting to your painting spot and forgetting either brushes, or paints or panels. After a few times of that I decided to keep the outdoor equipment in one bag and it doesn't leave that bag.
You can see in the picture my outdoor painting stuff organized on the shelf.
On the top shelf is the bag with everything in it, paints brushes, rags, thinner and cigar box easel for 8x10 and smaller panels. On the second shelf is the big paintbox, to the left are 2 tripods, one for the cigar box easel the other for the big paintbox. All those panels on the second shelf are failed paintings that have received two coats of acrylic paint and now are ready for outdoor work.
The outdoor work is all about practice and learning about outdoor light. The sketches that have enough information in them can be used for studio paintings, and a good example of this are my last two posts where I was able to use the sketches to make studio paintings.
It doesn't work that easy all the time, but when it does it feels great.
Get out and enjoy the outdoors, its a great stress reliever.
