By the Pool

The Pool, 2009, oil on linen, 8 x 10 inches

It was one of those iffy days. It was overcast all day yesterday and we were expecting rain during the night. It was anticipated that we would have a dry morning today, but that it would start raining in the afternoon. When I made it to Central Park the sky was very gray and it seemed that rain would start coming down at any point. What to do if I you get caught in a downpour? Would you save your painting? Your materials? Or would you leave it all in search for shelter? I has hoping it wouldn't rain, and by the end of the session the sky cleared and the sun beat down on me, burning my arms as I painted. Changing light causes problems while working outdoors, at times the middle building looked yellow, then it changed to a light gray, then to a dirty yellow, then to a darker gray. The sky changed the most but it was easier to capture it for some reason. My approach was a little different today, instead sticking to an earth tone palette, I started incorporating Sap Green, Viridian, Nickel Yellow, and Ultramarine Blue. The small change in color made a lot of difference, one which I'm very happy with. I now have to focus on drawing, crucial to cityscapes. Decisions have to made quickly, how detailed do I want the buildings and are they the main focus? Still working on it, but for my fourth plein air painting I say this is not too shabby.