News — plein air

Are you a morning bird looking to get some painting done in the early hours of the day? Perhaps you’re like me, a night owl that is curious about what those sunrises look like after years of blackout curtains and late nights. Maybe you are just trying to do this annoying challenge that I posted and aiming to get a sunrise painting completed before the 2024 new year. Whatever it is, I’ve been painting sunrises for the past few months and have completed more than 50 paintings to prove it. These paintings have taught me so much, and are a...

Have you always wanted to go plein-air painting, but are overwhelmed by all of the things you need or maybe are shy about painting in public? You’re not alone! Today I'll address some of the most common concerns and help make those initial paintings a little less scary and a little more enjoyable. What if I Don’t Finish in Time?  Start Small - Leave that giant canvas and ego at home. I suggest a postcard sized canvas or smaller. Working on these little pieces will allow you to finish more than one, and is also lighter to pack. Use Big...

DAY 1 This was the third time we ventured down the windy highway 17 to sunny Capitola for the Annual Capitola Plein Air Festival. Last year wasn’t ideal for me for a number of reasons, but this time I came armed with a healthier, more positive mindset, and a serious hunger for some plein-air painting. The drive down was a bit hairy. Having two dogs made things even more...interesting, especially since they had some major car sickness (Just look at Pancake's poor face), and being late for check in just made things more stressful. However, once we got there and cleaned and...

If you’ve been a plein-air painter for a while, you’ve probably experienced this. The sun is scorching, your sweat and sunscreen is dripping fire into your eyes, your paints are dried to tiny crusty bits, and you want to finish but literally just...can’t. While I’m no pro at managing the heat, here are a few tricks I have up my sleeve to make it slightly more tolerable. Simply avoiding the heat isn’t an option for me, living in the “deep east bay” of California. Temps easily get over 105 in the summer, and boy the summers are LONG. Before I...

It’s a wrap! My very first workshop, as a part of the SF Bay Area’s Urban Sketcher 10x10 Workshop series, “Catching Light” is now in the past, and a bit of weight is off my shoulders. Ok, a LOT of weight. Pretty sure I gained a handful of grey hairs from this, although the whole process was made much easier thanks to those that patiently and kindly helped me along the way. Special shoutout to the giant-hearted Suhita Shirodkar and Laurie Wigham! Also thanks to all the guinea pigs that helped me do a test run to iron out any kinks, and implement improvements...