If you want to loosen up, paint under pressure!

"Low tide near Pukerua Bay, Kapiti coastline."

 I've been teaching in the last few weeks and was asked on the last day of the course if I would demonstrate – preferably water and reflections in the subject to be painted.

In two weeks time, I will be travelling to the annual convention for plein air painters that is being held in Monterey, California this year. (10th to 14 April if you live near enough to consider going.)

I've been asked if I will do a demonstration painting at the convention but it will be a very short demonstration of only three quarters of an hour. 

So… as I started this  painting I wondered if I could do it in roughly an hour, as a warmup for my demonstration at the convention.

I decided that a painting from memory of a rock pool that I had done many years ago would be  suitable. Many people, I've discovered, really struggle with rocks. And, as I said, they wanted water and reflection, so it would be ideal. It is also a relatively simple subject so it should fit into my time limit.

 I really like the outcome of this exercise. Because of the time pressure, the painting is very loose – broad brush strokes with very little bother about details. It's the very way I want to paint all of the time but don't always succeed. It's so easy, as I've said in earlier blogs, to get caught in  the web of careful edges and fine detail. It's almost like sketching but in a semi – controlled manner. Good fun!!

I had also been stressing in these lessons, that you barely need small brushes when painting in an impressionist style but, so often, people can't believe it! This painting demonstrated that perfectly. I'm just hoping I can pull it all together in the same way when I demonstrate at Monterey. By the way – it did fit it into one hour

 If you're interested in plein air painting, or just painting generally for that matter, the convention should be well worth going to. I'm certainly looking forward to it!

 Please introduce yourself to me if you come along.