As I have pursued various avenues of painting, I have found that plein air painting continues to draw my interest and time. For one thing, plein air painting provides a great excuse to spend a day outside. While the colors change over time as the sun moves across the sky, the colors also present themselves authentically so that they can be compared to what I see on my pallet. I can mix the paint, hold up the paintbrush, and say to myself, “Ah, that is the color of the sky!”
It is also interesting to decide on the composition. As I consider, for instance, how much of the sky to include, I also have to think about what drew me to the location, what story I’m seeking to tell, and how to convey the emotions that I felt that caused me to stop at this one spot and set up my easel.
When I was at a ranch near LaVeta, CO this fall, I found a spot that revealed a yellow field of hay that stretched up to a boundary of pine trees and a few cabins, and then dramatically swept up into tall mountains and an ever changing sky. One of these mountains included a defunct ski resort with trails still visible. I included the trails in several of my paintings – human sketching on a vast landscape. To me, the area presented so many ways that nature stands side by side to human intervention.
Wishing you my best,
Trish Donovan