(When painting I often get into a mental mode of viewing the world as a painting, seeing any scene in front of me as a potential painting. That practice helps me paint better. But sometimes it's good to see the world through fresh eyes, as the Creation I believe it really is. Painting is only a two dimensional representation of a living, complex, three dimensional, intricately designed world. And in viewing it there's no cost of admission.)
The simplest, most ordinary scenes can make a painting (Fairfield Porter's paintings, for instance). This street scene is a view right out our front door, where the focus is on the play of light and shadow, and the casual cat at the base of the steps.
Since we rarely get snow in Portland, Oregon, I sometimes paint a snow scene to get myself in the mood for the holidays. After I painted Frosty we got 6" of snow, a nice coincidence (but a mess for city snow crews).
I'm a sports fan. So I occasionally like to paint the color
and excitement of
football
, for instance. This is an acrylic painting, taken from a sports
magazine photo. I don't sell these "derivative" paintings, since
they are painted from commercial photos. Two more sports paintings in oil: lacrosse and baseball pitcher.
I'm no different from many representational artists in having
a fascination for light.
Shade Tree
is from a snapshot taken outside a cabin window near Victoria, B.C.
Outdoor (plein air) paintings
A French name which means "open air ", plein air is a popular term used by artists who are leaving their studios to enjoy the challenge of painting outdoors.
Flower Pots, detail.
Painted in my back yard on a warm summer's day. This detail
looks better than the complete painting.
These outdoor paintings do not look
finished
. Usually I don't touch them up once I'm done. I like the raw
look; and it's a reminder of the
fun
and
challenge
of painting outside!
I painted this late evening scene of a profusely flowered front yard in mid July. It took 2 hours. A few days later I painted this sidewalk scene in less time. I keep track of my time because I want to get more efficient and skillful at painting. If I can complete the painting without reworking areas, and get it right with the first brushstroke, I'm satisfied.
Another small (12 x 16 inches) painting I made in my back yard,
Heavenly Bamboo
was painted in 2 hours, after work on a weekday evening, in August
of 1998. An ordinary bush became extraordinary when western
sunlight created a transparent, leafy halo.
I wasn't too satisfied with Streetside trees at the time, and painted over it, but saved the scan.
I painted this
white house
several blocks from our house. I strap my easel box onto the
back of my bicycle with bungee cords. It takes me about 10 minutes
to set up at the site. For a viewfinder I use a small rectangular
cut-out made from thin cardboard. The compliment I got on this
painting from a teenage boy was "tight"...at least he didn't say "
like
tight."
The last outdoor painting I made in 1998 (late September) -- on a
sidewalk corner
. It was busier than anticipated, but everyone was friendly;
people are curious to see someone painting in their neighborhood.
Four young girls (about 8 or 9) watched me paint this scene,
and asked a lot of intelligent questions.
A painting of a large Catalpa tree, from my driveway. Another view of the same tree, at close range.
When I painted this picture of Grant Park, a small boy kept wandering over to watch me paint. I appreciated the interest.
The strong contrast of the Red Car and green foliage attracted me to this scene.
Return to top
How do I paint outdoors?
I'm always curious about artists' methods, so I'm including my own:
First, my equipment and materials: I use a portable French
easel; a 12" x 16" masonite gessoed panel, lightly toned with raw umber; four
or five brushes and a palette knife; oil colors: titantium white; alizarin
crimson; cadmium red; cadmium yellow; lemon yellow; yellow ochre; burnt
umber; ultramarine blue; cerulean blue; and viridian. Turpentine is my
medium, but sometimes I add a fast drying gel from a tube (Weber Res'n'gel). An empty can
serves as a brush holder, which I clip onto the edge of the paint box tray.
I use a strip palette (a 12" x 16" tablet of waxy sheets of paper), so I
can throw away each sheet of paper when I'm done. I use paper towels, some
cloth rags and a small cleaning jar, filled with paint thinner, to clean my
brushes. I keep some hand cleaner in a plastic film container. To isolate
the scene in front of me I use a rectangular 3" x 4" viewfinder that I cut
from a piece of cardboard or thin plastic.
Almost everything fits neatly in the easel box, which I strap onto the back
of my bike. Water and a snack go into a bicycle saddle bag. I try to take
along only what I need and avoid clutter. Last, I wear old clothes and shoes that I don't mind getting paint on.
I usually bike around my neighborhood ahead of time and look for
interesting scenes to paint. I try to paint in the early morning or late
afternoon when the shadows are long and the light is more dramatic. The
paintings usually take 2 to 3 hours.
After setting up on a sidewalk I use a dark pencil to roughly and simply
sketch the scene that I've found through my viewfinder. I take a
few moments to study the scene and mentally break it down into darks, mid
tones and lights; it's important to me to simplify and edit what's before
me. Then I thinly paint the dark areas and shapes, keeping the drawing
intact. Next I fill in the middle values. Last, I fill in the lightest
areas, which are usually patches of sunlight.
After the initial "lay in" I work all over, going from big areas to smaller
areas, saving the details for last. I start with thinned colors using
turpentine medium; these areas set up quickly, so I can come back later with
more buttery, thicker color. This method is called "fat over lean". All
during the painting I try to keep in mind the 3 values: dark, middle, and
light.
I don't like to work on a stark white surface, so I use a rag, turpentine
and raw umber to tone a supply of 12" x 16" masonite panels (1/8"
thickness) ahead of time.
When I'm done I leave the wet painting face up on the easel, clean my
brushes and carefully fold up the easel box (I'm also careful not to make a mess around the homeowner's property). Then I strap it back onto the
bike support and slowly ride home.
Return to top
All art work Copyright © Harlan Simantel
Your e-mail feedback
is welcome.
