Tuesday 14 April 2015

PLEIN AIR PAINTING AROUND THE VILLAGE






"Old fashioned Tractor" cm 35x25  Acrylic and Oil on Canvas

I am finally getting into the habit of painting outside more often.

Somebody was watching!

Getting out there with all the stuff you need, (and so far each time I had to go back and fetch something  I had left behind), is not as comfortable as sitting in the studio, but there are many benefits that make it worth the effort.
When you observe your subject firsthand you have much more information than any photograph could ever provide.
Painting outside, looking at your subject directly, is a more exciting experience, and the result si more fresh and immediate, as you need to work quickly to capture the mood of the moment.
Observing from real life you learn much more and this makes your painting skills improve more quickly (at least I hope!).

I painted these two studies a few days ago in the village where I live.
The owner of the tractor, who was pruning his olive trees in the meantime, couldn't understand what it was that attrcted me in that "old and rusty piece of junk" as he put it, while I thought it  was very cute and deserved to be portrayed. I also thought the oak trees at the back made a nice cromatic contrast.


"Little Country Road" cm 30x20 Acrylic and Oil on Canvas


In the second study I enjoyed trying to create a sense of depht and space using the shapes of the cast shadows on the road.
I always take a photo of the subject too so if for some reason I can't finish the painting on location, I can continue in the studio.

Time to leave..


2 comments:

  1. Well done Franci! I like the old tractor...we do not commonly see any on paintings. ..Keep painting like this our magic region!

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  2. Hello Giulia thank you for visiting the blog! I am planning more tractors and vehicles in my next paintings!

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