Stop by my booth next weekend!
FREE Event • FREE Parking
Art Walk at the Glen
August 1 & 2 from 10am-5pm
2691 Navy Blvd, Glenview, Illinois
Time slot reservations suggested for social distancing.
Sign up to reserve a spot at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/art-walk-at-the-glen-tickets-114427074460
@Admur Productions @Art Walk at the Glen @The Glen Town Center
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My most recent plein air painting adventure took place in Sawyer, Michigan. My friend and fellow artist, Allison invited me to their cottage for a few days to watch me paint and learn about the plein air painting process. We packed our gear early morning to beat the heat. 2-3 hours max is the time it takes to paint a quick study of a scene to capture the light and shadow. It's a race against chasing the ever-changing light.
On day 1 we set up to paint a lovely scene of Bethany Beach along the shores of Lake Michigan lined by trees as far as our eyes could see. After setting up my easel, umbrella and unpacking all my gear, I realized I forgot my ultramarine blue which was all the way at the top of the hill in the car. 80 plus stairs on a very steep incline just to retrieve a tube of necessary paint. With just a couple hours to paint this scene I navigated the stairs as quickly as I could.
As far as my style goes, a beach scene can't be painted without ultramarine blue. Back down the stairs to my easel to survey the scene taking a few reference photos which helps me decide what to paint. A light wash is next blocking in shapes, values and determining composition then add color and a few details. We were having so much fun painting that it seemed like just 15 minutes had passed but in reality it had been 3 hours.
It was time to pack up our gear and get some lunch. Fatigued a bit by the heat, parched from forgetting to drink water because we're so focused on painting, we once again climb the 80 plus stairs to the car at the top of the hill. This is when Allison exclaims, "Plein air painting is a sport!”.
Upon returning home I weighed all my gear which to my surprise was 30lbs!
It's all worth it and hopefully is keeping me in shape. Allison and I hope to share many more painting adventures in the future. I am thankful to find a friend and fellow artist that enjoys plein air painting as much as I do!
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