The September Painting Challenge
My Plein air kit packs into my backpack. I have a Strada easel but before that, I used a simple metal one.
For each day in September, all 30 of them, I am dragging out my easel and heading outside.
That means battling the elements and trying to get something to work. This is part of the @StradaEasel Challenge that Bryan Mark Taylor of Strada Easel hosts twice a year.
This year they say they have over 1000 artists participating. That is quite a community! The artists are amateur and professional side by side. You are to paint daily from life and then post paintings on social media. One of the lovely perks of belonging to this group is the evening stroll through the paintings that were created that day. There are some that whack me on the head and make my jaw drop. There are a lot of great painters out there. I am happy to say that two of my students are also taking this challenge. They are painting great things as well.
Painting at the Leighton Centre south of Calgary. They will be hosting a plein air festival September 12th. I have plans to be there and hope you come and visit!
When you have to post daily you lose some of the inhibiting behavior that can be an obstacle to true creativity. The work doesn’t become so “precious”. You get it done so you learn to paint quickly. You learn how to get over yourself and post the results of the day. You end up realizing that it’s not such a big deal.
I always find this state of “giving in” a magical place to be when you paint. I find that’s when you take more chances. You don’t choke and clam up on the image— you develop fluency in how you handle paint. You let go of the ego and just respond.
After all, the way to get better at painting is to paint.
There is not a magical method or material. It is simply time spent at the easel. It is through observation and plenty of practise that you become a stronger artist.
This year I have an upcoming deadline for a show and so thought this might be good material for that. Deadlines are always a good motivator. I’m painting fairly close to home, but do have some day trips planned to the mountains as well. I am lucky to live in a very pretty part of the world.
To see the ongoing progress of these paintings look at my website, and then click on September Paintings. I am posting them daily as I am painting them.
These are all 8 x 10 paintings on un-stretched canvas. That’s so that they are easier to mail to clients.
This particular challenge ends in September. But you know I will paint on.
So I know that there are Art Gearheads out there.
They might be wondering about my paint kit.
I currently use a Strada easel and tripod.
As I paint in acrylic I line the palette trays with disposable palette paper. I like The Gray sheets, and I cut the pads with a Xactco knife so they will fit.
I use mostly Golden Acrylics but also use Holbein, Winsor and Newton as well as Tri-art brands. ( I prefer Heavy Body acrylics and do not use Open Acrylics.)
I use artist grade materials
I like to use Golden glazing medium. It has a retarder in it and can be useful to slow down the paint as well as giving me the option of glazing into the work
My palette is the same usually as my studio palette, which means Titanium white, Hansa Yellow, Diarylide Yellow, Naphthol Red, Quin Magenta, Pthalo blue, and Ultramarine blue. I like using mostly a modern palette when I am painting. I sometimes add Titanium Yellow, Quin Gold, and Cobalt blue to the mix. I carry my paint in a plastic container that fits into my backpack.
I always mix my own greens.
Sometimes I use a limited palette and bring a yellow, blue, red, and white with me only. This is especially true when I want to lighten my pack when I need to walk a bit.
I usually start the painting by using a modified notan. To do this I use medium and one colour.
In the past, I have painted on canvas and boards but now I am taping gessoed canvas onto a board and painting on that. I find this to be the most economical. Also, they are a lot easier to store. To frame I use the acrylic medium to glue the canvas onto a board. Check my blog post—that features a tutorial on how to do that.
lately, most of my Plein air work is 8 x 10 but I also do some 9 x 12s as well.
I use mostly a flat bristle brush. Rosemary brushes are my favorite. I also really like angled brushes. Usually, this is about 1/2 inch.
I have a clip-on water container I found at a pet store that I use for water. I don’t water the paint down because I don’t like how flat that looks. I use only a bit of water to clean brushes
I have rags to wipe brushes between similar colour passages. I use clips (I found at Canadian tire) and a shoelace to hold the roll of rags. Otherwise, I have some tucked in the pocket of my apron.
I carry plastic bags and pack out my messy brushes to give them a good cleaning at home.
I have a Best Umbrella that I sometimes use. It’s good, but it is so windy here that I have had problems with it. ( It launches my easel like a kite in the wind) Lately, it has been left at home more often than being packed. Through experience, you will learn to adjust the values of the work.
I also have bug spray and sunblock in my backpack as well as a hat.
I often listen to books on tape when I am out painting.
My favorite lunch is a peanut butter sandwich.
I also pack a hot thermos of tea. I drink this even in the hot weather.
A reminder that my September Classes start soon. If you are interested in Art instruction please find out more here. ( click on the high-lighted link)