I love painting outdoors and it reminds me of golf. Golf is not really a team sport. You alone try controlling a little white ball to roll into a little cup in a cow pasture while at the mercy of the elements, the terrain and yourself. At the end of the day, no matter how bad you played, you have the memory of that one good play, the shared laughter of friends, the beauty of nature or that damned sand trap. You were in the zone and turned off the outside world with all its drama and tedium of daily life. It is the same with painting, where you create your own view of the world and put that creative expierence in nature, wow!
This year besides painting with Wallkill River School, who introduced me to plein air painting, and the Lower Hudson Valley Plein Air Painters decided to start my own traveling group. I want to visit as many different places this season, from the farms to the sea. Finding Wednesday to be a good day for a mid week adventure. I announce my destination on the WallkillRiverSchool.com site on their bulletin board, on the Lhvpap.ning.com, Facebook AIP (Artists in the Parks) and my FB page. Still toying with next weeks venue possibly the Kingston Lighthouse or ? . Since immersing myself this season into doing only watercolor, plein air has become more challenging. Having done watercolor several years ago, my standards have gotten higher. It takes more thought in preparation in watercolor. Once the brush hits the paper it is off to the races. Yes, you can makes some corrections but if things start a down hill slide, it becomes do over time. After working 38 years of basically translating field information into usable data in the utility world.....hate doing things twice. It has taken me a year to let go of that feeling because to produce a better painting in watercolor eventually you will do things twice if not more.
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