This Week's Plein Air

Astoria Park, August Afternoon, 2011, oil on linen, 10 x 9 inches

Irene came and left last weekend, the city was at a halt trying to get ready for a hurricane that threatened to do a lot of damage to the tri state area. MTA, New York's public transportation system made up of subway lines, buses, and commuter rails going in and out of the city were shut down on Saturday afternoon, leaving millions of people without ways of getting around. Irene's heavy rain and wind knocked down trees and flooded neighborhoods close to the water, but things seemed to get back to normal on Monday.

Central Park Tree, August Afternoon, 2011, oil on linen, 11 x 9 inches

The sun came out and I could not stay cooped up in my apartment any longer. I spent two days enjoying the weather doing some plein air painting, hoping to catch the beautiful golden light of summer afternoons. I have been focusing on tree studies, trying to find the perfect painterly way of describing them without overworking the painting. So far I haven't reached that perfect balance of big shapes versus more detailed marks, but I'm working on it. More painting get done next week, stay tuned.