In Spite of The Rain

We braved the October rain to paint en plein-air at a six-hour workshop held in Sugar House Park yesterday and in spite of the cold damp air, we put our brushes to the canvas and persevered until we each had two or three creations. 

Yep, we totally rocked it!  

Sugar House Park was rich and colorful and the end-of-summer greens were beginning to show the first signs of autumn. Lavender clouds skimmed the top of Mount Olympus and in the foothills below, the red and orange hues peeked out in a softer note.  

We began by focusing on painting a value study using four values: black, white, and two shades of gray.  This enabled us to work out our compositions and freed us from the complexity of having to deal with color.

Once our value studies ware complete, we worked on a producing a color study.  The most difficult concept with both paintings was learning to simplify the shapes and eliminate detail. Learning to mass like-values together proved to be a challenge too. Hopefully, both studies will be a tangible reminder of how "less is more."

I think we all grew as we endeavored to capture the mood of the scene and replicate the subtlety of each beautiful color. I believe that growth occurs "on the edge" and if we don't push ourselves to broaden our limits, we will not grow!

Yesterday, I completely immersed myself in the experience and soaked up the sight of the pond, the sounds of the gulls and even felt myself enjoying the chill in the air...

...in spite of the rain!