Study 5, 8 x 6 in.
Study 7, 8 x 6 in.
This morning I headed out to the last day of Scott Christensen's workshop, and it's been such a formative experience, I'm sad it's over. A couple of days ago, Scott had us go out on our own to paint three studies in as many hours (not including travel and set up time), which proved to be a challenging, but very productive exercise. When you're thoughtfully considering composition and value and attempting to not make a complete disaster out of your painting, an hour per study isn't much time. :)
The first of these images is the first study I did that day. The second is not posted (a "complete disaster"), as I painted it in my car in a desperate attempt to avoid the bloodsucking horseflies that filled the air..... The other is my third study--completed in 15 minutes, as I took too much time on the first two and managed my time poorly.
Lessons learned: Painting quickly is an excellent way to force fast decisions based on first impressions and to train your eye to make value judgements quickly. I really found that my quick studies could be more competent compositions than ones I could spend hours on--a valuable lesson for any plein air painter.
-julie davis
5 comments:
It sounds like your workshop with Scott Christensen was amazing, as your work shows. There's a lot to be said about making quick decisions in painting . . . something I struggle with. Thanks for sharing your experience. Painting in your car? yikes!
Have loved reading about your Christensen workshop, what a great experience and these studies are fantastic.
Great lessons - and great studies! I love the freshness and movement in the 15 minute sketch (and is there ever really a complete disaster? we learn from them all!) What an enriching experience you had... total immersion with a true master! Wonderful!
Thanks for sharing his tips. And, so true about the speed.
really liked these...
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