Studio painting from a summer plein air study

In my last post I wrote about what I was doing to start painting again after a long summer gardening break. I figured it out. To start, just start. I wanted to paint a Studio version in pastel of a 6x8 inch plein air oil study, "August Lake." I used the study as inspiration and as a starting place. I changed the format from horizontal to square and changed the temperature (more blue, less green).

August Lake, oil, 6x8 inches 

After working on the larger painting for a day, I turned it to the wall but kept the selection of pastels and the little oil study with it. After a few days of NOT looking at it, my emotional involvement was tempered and I could approach it with fresh eyes. 

August Lake, pastel, 25 x 25 inches ©2018 Barbara Benedetti Newton

Dock and brushes

This is how Marlene's Dock began

This morning was much cooler and overcast setting the subdued mood (no bright sunshine, no sparkly water or bright highlights) for painting our neighbor's old dock plein air. I started with a gessoed panel that had been toned with acrylic. Yes, you CAN paint oil over acrylic but NOT acrylic over oil.

Marlene's Dock, plein air, oil with acrylic underpainting.
6x8 inches ©2018 Barbara Benedetti Newton

I've been painting for months with Rosemary & Co. Ivory brushes which are new to me this year but I've been thinking about mark-making and how these brushes differ from the marks made by hog bristle. I already have too many brushes so today I sorted them to see what I have before I order more.

My favorites: Assorted hog bristle, Rosemary & Co. Ivory, Rosemary & Co. Shiraz and Princeton Umbria 6200 Series.

wild wood

When I painted plein air recently at Kubota Garden, I applied a loose watercolor foundation on a 14.5 inch square of Wallis then worked in pastel on top of the watercolor when it was dry. After a week on the easel in my studio, I couldn't think of anything it needed and decided it was best left in it's lively, wild state. For me, a plein air painting becomes less alive if I begin work on it again in my studio, away from the scene of inspiration.