(Jacksonville FL)
Traveling and painting along the way is a long time dream of mine. I’ve never had the time or resources to make a go of it. The closest I have come is being involved with plein air painting. That is, going out somewhere and painting on location.
In the Shadows
A few years ago I lived in the mountains out west. I loved exploring the out-of-the-way places, down dirt roads, and into the forest. My preferred spots tended to be remote and wild. I’m hoping to find such places on my journey, but it will be a challenge in an RV.
When I was younger, I strove to represent things accurately. But, as I get older, I find myself wanting to express a particular mood that the site evokes. The former could be called illusion, and the latter allusion. That is, I want to paint what the place feels like, not just how it looks. It can be a delicate balance. One of my painting goals is to get more deeply into discovering and capturing that elusive quality that makes a place special.
I also enjoy the texture and look of paint on the surface. Using the brush, knife and other methods in various ways contributes to this quality. It makes painting a more interesting endeavor, and makes the painting more enjoyable to view.
I’m looking forward to the time when I can devote my energies to developing these painting ideas further. Living to travel, paint and experience new places will be a wonderful way to spend my later years.
Camp: Home in the sticks-n-bricks
Scene: Residential neighborhood
Hi Pleinguy – I agree with what you say – you’ve got to put yourself into the finished product. Mix things up – change things around -after all – it’s painting not photography. I love to paint pine trees and I put paint on with a palette knife and then I use my hair comb teeth to create the texture of the bark. The only thing you have to remember is to wash out your comb B4 combing your hair!! :>)
Agreed; any tool that gets the desired result in painting is OK. Finger, stick, sponge and wadded paper are some that are useful at times. Great point that evidence of the artist should be in every painting. If not, why bother! Thanks for commenting Rich.
Good luck and keep your goal in mind. I’m in the process of doing something similar, taking my art on the road in a vintage trailer.
Dragonfly http://littlesanitee.blogspot.com