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Sunday 18 March 2012

En Plein Aire



I was talking to Nick the other day. He has taken up painting and pastels (good luck they are great but are too messy for me). We got on to the subject of painting and drawing outside. It is infinitely more difficult to paint outside than in a studio. Inside you have a stable secure surface, with plenty of room to arrange your materials.
You are also not at risk of the elements. I can recall any number of occasions when I have set up my easel on a clear day with a blue sky and started to paint only to see spots of rain appearing on my watercolour.
The picture above was done standing holding brush water watercolour pad and paints. Yes you need to be a juggler. Consequently although you can see what it is (Brecon Cathedral) it is less precise than it would have been had it been painted in doors from a sketch. The moral is simple choosing a subject with  less detail and more distance is a lot easier to paint outside.

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