“Dreams of Sailing,” by Richard Oversmith, 2011,  oil, 16 x 16. J.M. Stringer Gallery of Fine Art, Vero Beach, Florida. Plein Air


“Peonies and Peaches,” by Richard Oversmith, 2011, oil, 20 x 16. J.M. Stringer Gallery of Fine Art, Vero Beach, Florida. Plein Air

Like many determined individuals, Richard Oversmith doesn’t allow himself to become complacent about his career as a full-time painter. For example, he works outdoors in all seasons of the year and stands at his easel because he wants to remain physically engaged in the process, and he never paints still lifes from photographs because that might lull him into creating paintings that lacked freshness and vitality.
Demonstration: “Flowers on a Silver Tray,” by Richard Oversmith, 2011, oil, 24 x 30. Courtesy M. Gallery of Fine Art, Charleston, South Carolina. Plein Air


Step 1: After toning the surface of a canvas with a thin coffee-colored mixture of burnt sienna and ultramarine blue, Oversmith wiped the surface leaving only a thin veil of the warm color

Oversmith paints outdoors most of the year except when the temperature drops below 20-degrees. “I actually prefer painting in North Carolina when it’s not so overwhelming lush as it is in the summer,” he explains. “I work quickly and complete an 8” x 10” painting in about 45 minutes or an hour, but I have painted on canvases up to 36” x 48” on location, returning to the same spot at the same time on several days. I made my own pochade box for developing the smaller paintings, and I use a French easel when setting up to paint larger canvases. I work with about ten colors on location, including titanium white, cadmium yellow, cadmium yellow lemon, yellow ochre, cadmium red light, burnt sienna, alizarin crimson or quinacridone red, ultramarine blue, and viridian. I sometimes add cerulean blue for painting sky color. The only medium I use is turpentine and that’s mostly during the initial stages of drawing the outlines of the major shapes.”

Although Oversmith does make small compositional sketches before starting a plein air painting, most of what happens is in response to the changing conditions rather than a well developed plan. “When I’m rushing to capture the light and dark pattern, the atmosphere, and the specific markings in the landscape there isn’t a lot of time for carefully considering each stage of the painting process,” he says. “That’s part of the reason I do make adjustments in the studio after I finish working on location.”

Step 2: Using the same two oil colors, the artist drew the outlines of the major shapes of the objects resting on a table near the north-facing window in his North Carolina studio

Step 3: After blocking in the mid-tones and dark accents in the composition,  Oversmith began washing in the local color of the roses

When he’s in his studio working on a still life, the materials Oversmith uses are much the same but he isn’t pressured to paint as quickly. “I use an alla prima, wet-into-wet painting technique in both situations, but that could extend over an eight- or ten-hour day in the studio whereas the plein air process has to be completed in less than two hours,” he explains. “I can take time to carefully consider the arrangement of positive and negative shapes with a studio still life. I draw the outlines of the shapes on a toned canvas using a thin mixture of  burnt sienna and ultramarine blue. I can give more thought to the balance of warm and cool colors while I am working in the controlled environment under a fairly constant light. The same elements come into play outdoors, but decisions have to be be made more quickly and sometimes I just can’t give careful attention to a landscape when the light changes or the fog moves in or the clouds disappear in the bright sunlight.

Step 4: Continuing to use filbert-shaped bristle brushes, the artist filled in the gray tones in the window and the shadow area of the table cloth and he modeled the shape of the white flowers


Step 5: During the final stages of an alla prima, wet-in-wet painting procedure, Oversmith used a softer sable brush to sharpen the edges, suggest the details of the silver tray, and soften the transitions between the red rose shapes

“It’s important to keep a painting loose and fresh as long as possible, and devote the last part of the painting process to softening or sharpening edges,” Oversmith explains. ‘I only work with four brushes through most of the process (Filbert shaped bristle brushes in numbers 4, 6, and 8; and one sable-hair brush) because I like to keep things simple and scale down my supplies. I use the softer brush towards the end of the painting process to soften edges by stroking the it across the divisions in value; or I will sharpen the edges around the center of interest in the composition.”

“Flowers in the Window,” by Richard Oversmith, 2011, oil, 16 X 20. Courtesy The Art Cellar Gallery, Banner Elk, North Carolina


“Sun Up,” by Richard Oversmith, 2011, 12 x 12. Courtesy J.M. Stringer Gallery of Fine Art, Vero Beach, Florida.  Studio

Oversmith teaches still life painting workshops in his studio, and he is an active member of the Oil Painters of American, the Plein Air Painters of the Southeast, and the American Impressionist Society. He has been accepted into a number of important plein air events, including Plein Air Easton in Maryland and the Toe River Arts Councils Paint Out Competition in North Carolina. Oversmith often paints outdoors with artists from his region. “One of the great things about this part of the state is that there are lots of artists and craftspeople.”