January 19th, 2013
Banners Flying
Cox Reservation, Essex MA
Oil on Canvas. 15 x 30 in
(sold)

Plein air painting is a totally different animal than your controlled environment type painting. I am sure I’m a broken record about this, but I drive myself nuts trying to keep up with the subtle changes of tone that occur throughout the day – and at a much higher rate in winter, mind you, than summer. The light is constantly in flux, and wind – there was a lot of it when I painted this, the grasses were waving and so was my entire canvas, rattling in the wind. So, motion everywhere, and I’m like the hamster in the wheel, trying to stay in motion so I maintain some semblance of a chance of capturing some essence of what I see. It’s about honing my relationship with the present moment, that fleeting little s.o.b. Sometimes I feel I achieve it better than others. Guess how I feel about this one.