Huddersfield Art Society’s first En Plein Air day for 2016 started out overcast but soon turned to rain. We were in Marsden, West Yorkshire. A very nice mill town on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, with plenty to satisfy the landscape artist. I had a few problems with the above painting not least caused by the weather. The painting is on muslin covered hardboard (see Haide Jo Summers you tube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvqhGbr_S28) that had 2 coates of acrylic gesso. I used W&N Artisan water mixable oils. Ah you say, water mixable oils in the rain, not a good idea, and you are right. So a hasty retreat was made back to the hall that our resourceful organiser David Whiting had arranged, to complete most of the painting from memory and a hasty pic taken on my iPhone. Water mixable oils, this was only the 2nd time I had used them and the “Jury’s still out” as far as I am concerned. They certainly do not have the same butteriness and feel of proper oil paint. Their attractiveness is of course the the use of water and not turps to thin the paint and clean up afterwards. I found I had to apply the paint with a palette knife rather than a brush to get any depth of paint on the board. I did buy, and use, W&Ns painting medium which did help a bit but it felt sticky and gloopy not at all like Liquin or a home made turps and oil mix. I was disappointed because I want them to use at the HAS Portrait Group, which is indoors of course, but I will have to persevere a bit longer before consigning them to the bin and using start oil paint. So this, my 2nd attempt at Plein Air painting, wasn’t a success either, my first being on the banks of Derwentwater on a very cold and windy afternoon in May. But I did feel a sense of righteousness standing in the countryside painting what i saw rather than copying a photograph in the comfort of my bedroom studio. I will persevere with this traditional style of painting. A warm day must just be round the corner, mustn’t it?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorThis blog is to record what I am currently working on, my thoughts and self critique and will contain all of my work including the good the bad and the ugly. Archives
June 2016
Categories |