Sarah P. Duke Gardens

This place did things to me... it rinsed my soul with sunlight and made time stand still for a few hours. I spent Saturday here on a quiet little bench sharing baguette, brie and fig-spread with my great friend, Junghyun. We've known each other since 3rd grade, and we caught up on 6 month's of stories. She's been sea-kayaking, running half-marathons and getting excited about the birth of a twin niece and nephew that came this week!

Monday afternoon I came back to her bench and I painted the view. This piece is a very traditional piece for me. The palette is decidedly fall in nature and it captures that warm autumn glow that is so very North Carolina. I could paint in Duke Gardens again and again.

Painting with the POPS

Every Tuesday morning, a magical thing happens around the triad. A group of about 10 lovely painters meets up at various spots to practice painting en plein air. I have had the pleasure of joining these artists several times this summer, and in the process I have found some AMAZING spots and met some AMAZING people. The first spot was a vineyard near Winston Salem. It made me feel like I was in Italy again! The second spot was a daylilly farm-- complete with an old farmhouse built in 1860. This week we're going to some gardens closer to Greensboro and I can't wait.



Here are some images from the past group paints. At the daylilly farmhouse, I ended up giving my painting to one of the property owners. He just loved the painting and I felt like a total champ.

Plein Air Birthday...

The week of my birthday, I gleefully hopped in my car and buzzed down to Faytteville for a plein air workshop with artist Diane Johnson. It was a birthday gift to myself--and a swift kick in the pants as far as motivation goes. The ride down was full of heavy traffic (because Fayetteville is nasty like that), but once I arrived at Cape Fear Studios, I just fell in love with painting all over again.

On Friday night, we had a brief meet and greet, and then I stayed up half the night reading my latest Jodi Piccoult novel and eating jelly beans. In spite of my midnight novel rendezvous, I woke up early Saturday morning and met all the painter ladies to travel to a breathtaking farm outside of the city.



I immediately settled on the subject of a beautiful tree-line and a perfect reflection in the still lake behind the farmhouse. It was a gray day, but that worked in our favor because it shielded us from the glaring sun. I was so excited to find this composition-- mainly because I've been looking at a series that Monet did of a similar subject. If I lived on that farm, I would paint this scene on a daily basis-- or realistically--at least several times a year!

When I was about 75% finished with this painting, it started to rain. It wasn't a horrible ran though, so I was able to finish it before packing it in for lunch.



After lunch, I watched Diane give a demo and I was completely inspired for my next painting-- another view of the lake and the trees. This one was harder because the light kept shifting. Sun would come out and then hide again, and the wind started picking up and disturbing the reflections in the lake. I'm still happy with the result in spite of the difficulties.





We packed everything up on Saturday and gorged ourselves on local strawberries and other delicious food. I had to stop on my trip back home to purchase a whole box of the fresh strawberries. There is NOTHING like a vine-ripe strawberry warmed in the sunshine-- nothing. Once Dave and I move into a house again, I want to learn how to make strawberry jam. It may be a next summer project, but I can hardly stop thinking about it even now.





Sunday was more of a challenge. I woke up to ominous cloudy skies and a whipping wind. At the studios, we reluctantly decided not to make our pilgrimage to the botanical gardens for another painting day. All the ladies were smart enough to stay inside and learn about color mixing except for me--- I ventured out into the 20 mph gusts with my brush. I'm just like that-- stubborn.



I was out there long enough to pick a composition and being a blustery painting-- but then my palette started to blow away-- trailing paint all over everything. I cleaned up what I could and then shoved all of it in the trunk of my car. Oh well. Later in the week, I returned to finish it up and it's currently one of my favorite little paintings! There is definitely movement in the work, but I made it look much more sunny and bright than it actually was.

When the workshop ended, I came home to a wonderful home-cooked meal from Dave-- It was part of my birthday surprise. At 27, I have this to say-- I am lucky, I am happy, I am blessed, I am content, and I am grateful.

Plein Air Painting

There is an undeniable urgency when painting outdoors – nature's so grand, the canvas so small. It takes the human mind with all its grand abilities and complexities to sort through the overwhelming visual feast set before it and re-create on canvas the essential components of such beauty and wonder. (Jan Blencowe)

To look, to see, to understand, to capture – however imperfectly – is to be part of the land in a way like no other. (Jan Blencowe)

This Jan Blencowe is a smart cookie! These quotes sum it up perfectly...this is exactly how it feels to paint en plein air! My friend Hollis and I ventured out to Battleground park recently for an afternoon painting session. This is a picture from the middle of the process. I stopped in the middle of my painting due to a beautiful yet painful glaring sun, but we will have to go back. Next time I will bring my hat... just like Hollis!

Painting en plein air is all about losing yourself in the moment. You have to look with all of your heart.. and quickly too! The light shifts, highlighting different bands of color at different times. It takes an urgency and a tenacity to commit the outdoors to canvas... but it is rewarding... and so fun!

Plein Air Springtime

Oh to paint outside in the springtime! This is what the days were made for... slow afternoons full of sunshine, color and a soft breeze. When I put on my painting shirt and whip out my brushes and French fold-up easel I'm perfectly content with the world.

Last week I visited a friend's neighborhood and set up near a sidewalk and a pretty willow tree. Painting in plein air has always been thrilling. The experience carries the same kind of urgency that figure-drawing class carries. You have to capture what's in front of you quickly! Catch it before the light shifts, or you may never catch it at all. Beware of fire-ants, mosquitoes and sunburns. They'll sneak up on you when you're absorbed in a composition.

While I liked this little painting on the easel, I haven't been satisfied with it since I returned to the studio. I may re-work it, or I may paint over it completely depending on my mood and current inspiration. Today I'm off for more. This afternoon it's Battlefield park.