New York artist Jane McGraw-Teubner has a very succinct and strong reason why participants in the Plein Air Convention & Expo should check out the event’s pastel track.
“The Long Road,” by Jane McGraw-Teubner, pastel, 8 x 10 in. Private collection
“I really think it is the best medium for plein air,” she says. “It’s much faster on location than oil painting. You don’t have to mix the colors — it’s immediate.” McGraw-Teubner says she can work so quickly on-site that she has time to do a 6″ x 8″ color study before embarking on a larger, more finished plein air piece. “I may do more than one study, depending on how successful I feel the composition and color choices will be,” says the artist. “If you just jump in and paint right away, and don’t see the problem, you can waste a lot of time having to backtrack. The small study also becomes a guide so you don’t chase the light.”
“Cold Spring Harbor Green,” by Jane McGraw-Teubner, pastel, 8 x 10 in. Collection the artist
“Breakthrough,” by Jane McGraw-Teubner, pastel, 9 x 12 in. Collection the artist
If you’re not mixing colors, then you’re carrying a lot of colors, right? McGraw-Teubner says it’s not an issue. She does have a few setups from which she chooses based on the situation — one box holds about 400 sticks, while another that holds about 250 is better for plein air painting that requires a hike.
“Cold Spring Harbor Morning,” by Jane McGraw-Teubner, pastel, 9 x 12 in. Private collection
The pastelist says she will add a few colors to her box for the trip out to Monterey, California, and the Plein Air Convention & Expo. “The ocean on the East Coast has more green — I’ll add more browns and blues for Monterey,” says McGraw-Teubner. “The water there has turquoise in it.” She’s familiar with the color palette of that part of California because she ran in the Big Sur Marathon in 2008, a race that goes from Big Sur to Carmel. She’s well equipped to do a lot of running around at the busy convention, it seems.
