This weekend I established a new goal—100 1 hour paintings. In a quest to get ready for my third year of plein air events I thought I’d go back to basics and try to establish a quicker pace to my work, so Saturday I taped up two 8 x10″ pieces of primed canvas on to a board that set up for figure drawing pad. It’s small enough to fit on to my plein air easel and it’s easy to carry around. So two Saturday and two Sunday, a good start only 96 to go! I was inspired by an article in Plein Air Magazine and I knew this is what I need to do to get me out of the rut of 4 hour 9 x12 paintings. I intend to do my regular work also so this is just plus painting—the more the better.
Saturday the weather was warm enough to get out and by afternoon I was driving the river south of the house near Atlanta. I ended up on the east side of Cochran Shoals—more wild and less busy than the other shore and much better for painting. I did a few of the 1 hour paintings an then a large 18 x 24″ (top pic) of the same view. The wind was a bit of a problem but I weighed my tripod down with a few logs and everything went well. xstreme plein air? —not quite, but I did have to cross over this twenty foot tree to get over to the spot I painted. If I would have fallen in it would have made the title. The way over was ok but on the way back I had to stop twice and re balance myself…oh so daring! A nice spot though. I can say that this one place I will visit again.
Sunday I was lazy but had some time and set up out front on the cul-de-sac for two quickies, one of the house next door and another of a Tacoma truck parked there. Honestly it took me just over two hours.
