Two Plein Airs

[Old Tex]

I finally went outdoors to paint after almost a year and a half. Beautiful weather here today, and I just couldn't find another excuse to not go out. There is no question it's a different challenge, and I obviously need to do more of it. Probably will now that I've gotten my feet wet again, and see how much I have to learn about getting things done quickly.

The first was done this morning at a rural park not far away. Not particularly inspiring, but it was a start. Illustration board takes the paint in a completely different way from gessoed masonite, and tends to have more of a watercolor feel... or at least that seems to be the way I was painting.

Not satisfied, I went back out in the afternoon, to an old abandoned farm and did the second one on masonite. I've got a long way to go to be a plein air painter, but I have to admit, it really felt good to paint outdoors again.

C&C welcome.

8x10 ~ Gouache on illustration board


9x12 ~ Gouache on gessoed masonite

[aureliof]

Hi, Ralph. Both are really nice. You seem much more comfortable with your bare/near-bare trees. I recall you have been working on these and to my eye they feel like the rest of your paintings. Best -- Aurelio

[cbcarnell]

How nice it is to see that blush of newly starting foliage on your trees - these are just wonderful, Ralph.

[PETE K]

well Ralph. two mor amazing paintings. they are great I may lean twards the second one a little more.

[noge]

number 1

[timwootton]

These are great Ralph - the second is a particularly fine piece of work.

[moleskine]

Both are very nice and I like them.

[Deborah Secor]

Nice underlying abstraction and value massing in both of these. Nice shadow in the first one! The second one is more complex, which pleases me. In each one there's a sense of most of the action being in the foreground plane. Beautiful work, Ralph.

Deborah

[LarrySeiler]

these are very good, Ralph...and its fun too, isn't it! A pleasure, a rush to feel the senses excited and bear together to try and respond to the moment!

Hope we'll see more...these are good...

[michko]

Beautiful, I never tried Gouache, to me it looks like oil with too much solvent, thank you for sharing

[Old Tex]

Aurelio, my initial thought when I settled in to do the first one was, "Swell... more bare trees... what am I thinking?" I'm glad to know you think they're coming along. They're still a foreign subject for me, though. Thanks!
Thanks Claire. I'm so used to painting fully developed foliage that i wasn't sure how to handle all that small, new growth. So I just winged it. I'm glad to see it returning.
Hi Pete. Thanks. I have to admit the second one was more fun to do.
Egon, I never expected to see a thumbs up on that first one. Thanks!
Thanks Tim! I should have stopped on the house (what I'm guessing used to be a bunkhouse), and spent more time on the trees, I think. I appreciate your comments.
Hi Moleskine. Thanks!
Wow, Deborah, thanks for the nice evaluation and comments. I really felt like a beginner again.

[beejane]

Both are great, and since they're plein air, I'm in awe. That just greening up bare tree look is harder to do than either the bare tree or full green tree, and you've managed an excellent suggestion of early leaves.

[Aires]

Both are beautiful paintings but I admit to a bias toward the second one. Lovely work indeed!

[Old Tex]

Thanks Larry. It felt good to be out there.
Thank you Michko. I'll admit it's not for everyone.
Thanks Barbara. Sometimes I think I think too much about it. Maybe it's best to just paint, and hope what's been learned comes to the surface.
Eloise, I have to say that the second one was a lot more fun to do. Thank you!

[Al Skaar]

Great PAs Ralph! I really like the sense of reflected light on the shadow side of the little building in the second one. Good stuff!

- Al