That was me standing in the creek

Like a good student of Plein Air painting, I have literally taken the show on the road…or stream. Whatever. I pack up the bare necessities and find something to paint, not aiming for a masterpiece, but for a quick value study and a small limited palette oil of the scene. The master artists will do this every day for a year, refining the ability to see value, light, color, texture, perspective; on and on the list goes. I will be happy with myself if I do this 2 or 3 times a week this summer. 


Yes, you DO see chickens in this photo! My friend and CSA provider, Judy, has the most wonderful chicken yard right next to the creek, over which is a sturdy bridge. I planned to set up on the bridge, but there was just enough water in the creek to catch the sunlight so I made my way down to a lovely rocky area where my feet could stay dry. The chickens were supposed to be the focal point, but the creek was just to dramatic to ignore, so the poor, clucking ladies were a supporting act this day.


I pick up my veggies every Thursday…and I hope I am able to spend a couple hours there with the chickens, too.  As you can see, I certainly need the practice! It is hard for me to reproduce the values that my eye sees.