Plein Painting and Its Unexpected Outcomes
By Barbara Tapp
I was plein air painting in a neighborhood when a man drove up, leaned out of the window of his large truck, and said, “That’s my house you’re painting!”
He introduced himself as Donald. I was only halfway finished, so I told him to come back in an hour. When he returned, he offered me two hundred dollars to buy it as a gift for his wife. I accepted and when Donald returned with the cash he also gave me three books he’d written – a lovely gift.
I must admit the pressure was on to do a worthy painting and complete it within the hour for a potential sale. I took a photo of him holding the finished painting as a memento (shown at top).
When I got home, however, I looked at the photo and noticed an obvious smiley face on an adjacent building. What a dilemma! Should I call him and mention the error or let it go? I chose the latter and took that grin as a sign of approval that the painting was going to the right owner.
One never knows what extra unexpected things can happen when painting outdoors.
Editor’s Note: The following is part of a series featuring a leader in the art community who will be joining us on the faculty of Watercolor Live, a virtual art conference taking place January 24-26, 2024. If you can’t join us then, check out the five-star rated Barbara Tapp Watercolor Method workshop, available now at PaintTube.tv!
