Daily Painting 1244 Secret Waters Plein Air Alla Prima

At Adam's ranch, my second painting of yesterday. Its 8 x 10 inches, oil on masonite. Saw an alligator and soft shelled turtles here. Photo below.

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Daily Painting 1243 Day at the Ranch, plein air alla prima

I did this today at Adam's ranch, beautiful out, saw lots of cows, 4 alligators and all kinds of fish. Saw an otter and some wild hogs too. The painting is oil, 8 x 10 inches, $300.

Maymont - Italian Gardens #456

Maymont - Italian gardens - view towards the stone barn - 20x20 oil on linen - completed en plein air 3/25/2011 during VPAP paint-out.

Daily Painting 1241 Bottle Brush Tree at White City Park Plein Air Alla Prima

I painted this today at White City Park, it was beautiful out. I was a little upset when I got there, all the beautiful pink water lilies from last year were all gone! Just the little round yellow ones were left. Some sort of lotus I think.

Well, I looked close at the water by the shore and I saw all these little red lily pads, about an inch or so across. I think and hope they are the pink lily plants. Maybe they just lose their pads in the winter.

Saw some pretty big fish, and also some big swirls, there must be a lot of fish in there now.

The painting is 8 x 10 inches, oil on masonite, $300.

James from Belle Isle 454

Completed 3/17/2011 - 11x14 oil on linen - View of James River from western end of Belle Isle

James from Belle Isle 453

Completed 3/17/2011 en plein air - 8x10 oil on linen - View from western end of Belle Isle
James River - Richmond, Virginia

Daily Painting 1235 Century Plant at Hackberry plein air alla prima

Another painting I did at Hackberry hammock. Its 5 x 7 inches, oil on masonite. $100.

Daily Painting 1234 The Pond at Hackberry Hammock Plein Air Alla Prima

I went here yesterday, it was perfect out. Art Mundo sponsored the paintout and it was lots of fun, got to catch up with some friends and meet new people. I took a nice long walk and I got lots of photos to paint from too. Saw a big woodpecker, a pilated and lots of painted buntings.

Art Mundo is having some other paintouts, the next one will be at Adam's Ranch. This is an 50,000 acre ranch, its a beautiful place to paint at. You will see a working cattle ranch with cows and cowboys, I have seen deer and lots of interesting birds like the everglades kite. Registration deadline for the paintout is April 1st. $25. Register here for the paintout: http://www.artmundo.org/


This one is 8 x 10 inches, oil on masonite. $300.

Daily Painting 1233 Indrio Savannas Plein Air Alla Prima

Its oil on masonite, 8 x 10 inches. It was perfect out, a beautiful day. Started out the lake was like glass, perfect reflections, then a few minutes later the wind came up and the reflections broke up. The park is getting prettier and prettier over the years, there are some nice young cypress trees and lots of cattail reeds.

I had blocked in about half the painting and felt something crawling on my feet, it was fire ants. I had looked before I sat down, there were no hives, this was a parade of them moving to a new place. I moved over and all was well for a little while when they came back. This went on until I finally finished the painting and left. I just got a few nibbles, no real stings, I guess because they didn't feel threatened and weren't protecting their hill.

$300.

Daily Painting 1230 Port Saint Lucie Botanical Gardens Plein Air Alla Prima

My fellow artist and friend Betsy Moser and I went out here and painted. It was very windy out and Betsy's easel blew down and broke. Other than that we had a good time. The painting is 8 x 10, oil on masonite, $300.

Daily Painting 1227 This Old House in Fort Pierce Plein Air Alla Prima

I painted this today at the South Causeway Park of the old house that is by the historical museum there. It was a perfect day, not too hot or cold. A few people came by and looked when I had the big shapes blocked in, no details at all and they said they loved it! I said it would look hopefully a whole lot better when it was finished. I am always stumped about what to say to people like that, when the painting is not really there yet. Its 8 x 10, oil on masonite $300.

Daily Painting 1224 Half a Dozen Palm Trees Plein Air Alla Prima

I painted this at the South Causeway Park here in Fort Pierce. It was nice and breezy out. Its 8 x 10, oil on masonite. $300.

Daily Painting 1221 Dance in the Woods Fort Pierce Plein Air Alla Prima

I have been in a bit of a funk again, I hope I am done with it! Went painting today here at the Old Fort Park. It was a beautiful morning when I got there, perfect for painting. The last few times I have been painting here I have been attracted to those squiggly trees in the back ground. Took a close look today, they have long leaves and aren't gumbo limbos, which is what I thought they were. Now I am wondering just what they are. Its 8 x 10 oil on masonite,

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Daily Painting 1220 The Old Oak Plein Air Alla Prima

This oak is in the old Fort park in Fort Pierce. I loved how it looked like a giant bonsai tree. I think it was naturally pruned by a number of hurricanes over the years but it is still strong. The painting is 8 x 10 inches on masonite, painted from life.

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Daily Painting 1219 Across the Way Plein Air Alla Prima

This was done in Vero Beach of a building across the street from me. Its 4 x 6 inches, oil on masonite, framed,

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Daily Painting 1218 Looking West Plein Air Alla Prima

I did this for the Vero Show, its oil on plywood. 5 x 7 inches. Well not too many sales at the show, I heard one sold from someone, don't know if anyone else sold any. When I was at the reception, it looked like mostly artists and their families. I guess maybe the weather had something to do with it, it was outside and pretty chilly

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Daily Painting 1217 Oak at Round Island Plein Air

I still wasn't happy with this one so I tweaked it some, I think I am really finished with it now.

It was 48 when I started painting, I was in the sun but it was windy and damp. So I get the painting finished, I was happy with it. I ease it into the frame and I put the nails in and looked at it, it got pressed against the blanket in the Jeep, grrrr! Big smears. I was PO’ed! Well it wasn’t as bad as it looked, I scraped some off, took a little paint from here and there and patched it up. The benefits of painting with lots of paint, I have lots of paint on the panel to fix things with. Only took a minute or two. I wish I would have taken a photo first of the smears, LOL!

The painting is 8 x 10 inches, oil on masonite.

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Daily Painting 1216 Good Morning Fisherman Plein Air Alla Prima

I did this today at McWilliam Park in Vero Beach. It is entered into the "I Love Vero Beach Paintout" Its 8 x 10, oil on masonite, lots of nice textures, not available here right now but you can get it if you go to Vero in the next couple of days. The show is at the Plein Air Gallery tent on 1959 14th ave. 9 am to 4 pm Saturday and Sunday. I am planning on painting in Vero Saturday and Sunday too.

Daily Painting 1214 Three Old Friends Live Oaks

I painted this at the Old Fort Park today on Indian River Drive. It was hard to come up with a subject, there are so many interesting old oaks all over the park. The painting is 8 x 10, oil on masonite, $250.

Daily Painting 1210 The Red Lifesaver Sailboat Plein Air Alla Prima

I painted this by the Fort Pierce Marina from life. Its oil on plywood, 5 x 7 inches.

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Daily Painting 1209 Sun Rays on the Indian River Plein Air Alla Prima

I painted this today from life by the Fort Pierce Marina. It was a beautiful day not too warm or cold. Its 8 x 10 oil on masonite,

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Daily Painting 1200 The Three Dancers Sea Grape Trees Plein Air Alla Prima

I went out to South Beach Jetty today, these are some of the sea grape trees there. It started out very hazy and foggy and then turned into a nice day. The morning was very interesting even with the fog, the light was shining through and everything was glowing. This is from life, I was there from around 9 am till 1 o'clock. The painting is 8 x 10 inches, oil on masonite. It has some very nice textures. $250.

Daily Painting 1194 SOLD Sexton Barn work in progress

SOLD This is a plein air I did at Sexton's ranch in Vero Beach. Its a nice ranch with interesting cattle, I walked around a whole bunch to see as much as I could and decide where to paint. So I was tired when I finally started, I am not happy with the saw grass and other foliage. The plan is when it dries to put some transparent oil glazes on, this should make the painting warmer and bring out the colors I want in the grasses.

Daily Painting 1193 Sea Grapes at South Beach Fort Pierce, Florida

I have always enjoyed looking at the interesting trunks of sea grapes, I love the strange way they grow and the interesting colors in them. The painting is plein air or painted from life, its 5 x 7 oil on masonite. $100.

Daily Painting 1192 Pelicans on the Rocks Plein Air Alla Prima

This was a fun one, it flowed together for me. Its another one I did at the Jetty Park on South Beach. Its oil on masonite, 5 x 7 inches. $100.

Daily Painting 1191 Pelicans at the South Jetty Plein Air Alla Prima

First plein air of 2011! I haven't painted at the South Jetty before, been there a bunch fishing though. It was nice out, cloudy and the ocean was as smooth as glass. The pelicans are waiting for the fishermen to come and clean their fish so they can get some scraps. The painting is oil, 8 x 10 inches on plywood. $200.

From the field to the studio...



"Standing Artist"
circa 1845-47
John Kensett

My love of history and art mesh as one when it comes to plein air painting, especially early American plein air painting history as exercised through the Hudson River School. The Hudson River School wasn't a school but an art movement during the mid-19th century embodied by a group of landscape painters whose aesthetic vision was influenced by romanticism. The paintings for which the movement is named depict the Hudson River Valley and the surrounding area, including the Catskill, Adirondack, and the White Mountains; eventually works by the second generation of artists associated with the school expanded to include other locales. Hudson River School paintings reflect three themes of America in the 19th century: discovery, exploration, and settlement. The paintings also depict the American landscape as a pastoral setting, where human beings and nature coexist peacefully. Hudson River School landscapes are characterized by their realistic, detailed, and sometimes idealized portrayal of nature. 

Thomas Cole's Sketch Box
circa 1840


The artist Thomas Cole is generally acknowledged as the founder of the Hudson River School. Cole took a steamship up the Hudson in the autumn of 1825, the same year the Erie Canal opened, stopping first at West Point, then at Catskill landing where he ventured west high up into the eastern Catskill Mountains of New York State to paint the first landscapes of the area. The first review of his work appeared in the New York Evening Post on November 22, 1825

Cole's close friend, Asher Durand, became a prominent figure in the school as well. With the advent of photography, the need for realistic renderings gave way to the sublime as landscapes took on a more spiritual feel. There was no need to capture what a scene looked like, photography could do that, more emphasis was put on the mood, light, and feeling the artist gained from the scene and being in nature. This was the goal of the second generation Hudson River School painters (my favorites) like Frederic Church, John Kensett, and Sanford Gifford.


John F. Kensett
in his studio, 1864.

In gathering the visual data for their paintings, these artists would travel to rather extraordinary and extreme environments, the likes of which would not permit the act of painting in some cases. During these expeditions, plein air sketches and memories would be recorded and the paintings would be rendered later, upon the artists' safe return home. They would do their finished works in the studio from their sketches.


I recently returned from my own painting expedition in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina in September. I was accompanied on this journey with two of my artist friends, Mitchell Morton and Stephen Greer. The three of us and several other plein air artists had the pleasure of studying at the Florence Thomas Art School under the master artist, Tony Griffin.  

Artist Tony Griffin giving plein air
demo at the Florence Thomas Art School.

A blog post a mile long could be wrote about Tony concerning his art training, his artwork, and his workshop but I'll save that for another day. Of all the gems I brought home from his workshop the greatest was this... to capture the essence of the scene! With Tony's guidance I learned to simplify... before his workshop, I was putting too much emphasis on getting a finished painting. Tony taught me that plein air painting is a a gathering of color notes, a simplified composition, and a spiritual experience. I can still hear him saying... "Observe, Mix, and Apply" while I work at my easel. Thanks Tony! 



Bernie plein air painting along the New River.



Taking what I have learned from Tony Griffin and the Hudson River painters I now use my plein air pieces as studies for studio works. I am not so concerned about getting a finished painting in the field anymore. Below is one of the plein air paintings I did during the workshop. The scene is set along the New River in one of Tony's hidden spots.



Plein air oil sketch by Bernie Rosage Jr.
Along the New River, Glendale Springs, NC.
September 2010.

Below is the finished studio piece worked from the above sketch with the exercise of a little artistic license.

"Blue Ridge Afternnon"... 11x14" acrylic on canvas by Bernie Rosage Jr., 2010.





Thanks for dropping by... would love to hear your comments.

Bernie

Sources:
1) The Painted Sketch: American Impressions from Nature 1830-1880
2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_River_School

 

Susie, Sandra, and Durinda

 

Ain't we got fun?

Maymont - towards the James #408

11x14 on linen canvas - painted en Plein Air during morning of 11/22/2010 - View from behind the stone barn towards James River below. Beautiful fall day, but occasional gusty winds kept you on your toes....this one also has a few embedded bugs in residence.

Fishing Bay Sparkle #407

The sun is low at this time of the year causing the water sparkle to stay surprisingly constant during the day while it slowly moves towards the right.

8x10 on linen - painted en Plein Air in the morning hours of 11/20/2010 from the forecastle of our sailboat. Typically in this view line several sailboats are at anchor, but left for warmer waters earlier.

I started using driers last week to speed things up. Not wanting to use fast drying whites (washes out colour) I opted for a clear Gamblin product called Galkyd Lite, because its also a medium it sets up enough for over painting and wash glazes. Wind helps dry it a bit too. It would take several sessions to get this particular look otherwise.

Late Evening at Ft Myers Beach

 
This 12 x 12 plein air painting was done the first evening I painted last week. It's for sale.

Sandra Participating in the Quick Draw

 
On the beach behind the Holiday Inn were many "sand" activities. Here I'm shown trying to capture a professional artist building a lovely sandcastle. I got carried away with the onlookers and didn't finish the sandcastle that was being built.

Look at Us

 

Susie Covert, Sandra, Durinda Cheek, and Ruth Cox stand in front of the Plein Air Festival Tent in Ft Myers Beach, FL on November 11, 2010.

Maymont - Italian Gardens #405

11x14 on linen canvas - painted en Plein Air 11/15/2010 - Gray day with broken sun

Painting in the Quick Draw at Paint the Beach

 
From November 8th -14th 2010 Fish-Tale Marina, Santini Marina Plaza and the Fort Myers Beach Art Association sponsored a Plein Air Art Festival. Here I am painting the last day. These paintings were entered in a contest.

Maymont - Italian Gardens #402

11x14 Oil on linen - Painted en Plein Air 11/11/2010 at Richmond's Maymont Park - The Italian Gardens were freshly planted a few days before. Sunny and reasonably warm - I used Naples yellow in place of white - very effective at reducing colour. I did a quick 8x10 study of the far fountain on 11/8/2010 in preparation (top) using titanium white

Maymont - Fountain study #401

8x10 Oil on linen canvas - Painted en plein Air 11/10/2010 at Richmond's Maymont Park the fountain is located close to the Hamilton Street entrance.

Maymont - fall study #397

Fall colours are in full swing here in Richmond - Painted en Plein Air 11/6/2010 - This view is near the Maymont Park Hamilton St. entrance.

I'm in the process of selecting a number of views for a 12-month series showing the different seasonal moods at Maymont.