“Good morning,” said Plein Air Live attendee Sarah Polenick this week. “So excited for #pleinairlive day one! Couldn’t sleep last night for anticipation and it shows on my face today, lol! Feel like a little kid at Christmas!”
On Day 1 (Thursday) of Plein Air Live, we had front-row seats for painting demonstrations from Camille Przewodek, Brienne Brown, Randall Sexton, Colley Whisson, and Jim McVicker, with a special critique session by Kathleen Dunphy.
“I always feel like I’ve played a sport after I go plein air painting. And I leave it all out on the field! Fun and wonderfully exhausting.” ~ Jaunie S. in the running chat
Speaking of fun, many of us will be meeting in person in Denver, Colorado, at the Plein Air Convention and Expo. We hope to see you there! In the meantime, here’s a glimpse at what we learned yesterday:
Plein Air Live Highlights from Day 1
Camille Przewodek welcomed us to paint along with her as she put down a lay-in on canvas, starting with big shapes and then continuing to modify the colors over the course of an hour. Camille’s demo took place in the mid-morning light of Petaluma, California. Then, she took the canvas indoors to refine it in the studio.
Painting a snowy field with white pines on her family’s farm, Brienne M. Brown explained how to use the contours of the land to create interesting shapes on an overcast day. Brienne used watercolor and shared plenty of tips for painting in cold weather.
“Critiquing is one of the most important things I do as an instructor,” said Kathleen Dunphy during her special plein air critique session. She added that it’s important to remember, however, that an art critique is just an (educated) opinion. She said to take a critique seriously, to listen to it, and then decide what aspects you want to apply to your painting.
With an old classic car as his main subject, Randall Sexton covered a variety of plein air and painting tips, including composition and much more.
Colley Whisson, who began painting en plein air in 1987, joined us from Australia, where he painted a rural scene. He began by creating the “skeleton shapes” of the composition. In addition to his techniques, he shared his personal insights on overcoming initial reservations about painting outdoors.
Painting on a lookout above the Pacific ocean, Jim McVicker led a plein air demonstration focusing on early morning shadows in the landscape.
On Day 2 of Plein Air Live, we’ll be experiencing even more master workshops, plus a “Living Legends Panel Discussion” with Bill Anton, Matt Smith & Skip Whitcomb, moderated by Kelly Kane. See you there at PleinAirLive.com!
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