First Plein Air 2013

Unkempt Tree

@8" x 10"

Pastel & Charcoal on Wallis

Casey Klahn

Steven LaRose shares this:

En plein air (French pronunciation: [ɑ̃ plɛn‿ɛʁ]) is a French expression which means "in the open air," and is particularly used to describe the act of painting outdoors, which is also called peinture sur le motif ("painting on the ground") in French.

Steven LaRose.

Top Tips

Top Tips for Travelling Artists is Katherine Tyrrell's series of reports on what works well for taking your studio with you and going over the horizon.  She has plenty of links in her series, and I recommend you read and bookmark her posts for that day when you will be scratching your head over what to pack.




Because I have written for many years about my take on pastels, some of my own hints are linked.  Thank you for that, Katherine.  Much has been made about my choice to paint on sight with only 6 Unisons.  I got that idea from a San Francisco artist, whose name I have unfortunately forgotten and whose URL I can't find anymore.  All that to say I didn't invent the idea.

Two layers in a cigar box.  Insert is a Fome Core DIY box lifted with a ribbon.  Six values of any hue is the organizational principle in this kit.

Maybe out of guilt over the attention I get for this, I have been trying harder to get outside and use the 6 U's kit.  I'm glad to report that some paintings have been started, and yet I have to admit I am not much of an outdoorist.  I did get a really nice painting started at the beach with charcoal and the 6 Us, and then I used my mid-sized box of pastels, pictured above, which I re-fitted right before my trip with a better selection of sticks.  It worked great, and yet when I went to the studio to do the "resolve" of the painting, I struggled and struggled.  So much the better.  Learning happens.


Happily, I have two great painting ideas from my summer's efforts, and they started as the 6 Us in the field.  That is what makes the whole thing worth while, isn't it?


Here are "The Six."  I added my one extra stick, the Grey-18, to extend my value range to the lighter side.  

Making a Mark
Top Tips - Pastels

Beach Rocks

 A Rare Plein Air Effort.

WIP (Work in Progress)

At The Beach

Photo: Lorie Klahn

Washington State - The Place To Be

In the next few weeks, make sure to watch my sidebar, if you don't already subscribe to Astrid Volquardsen's and Loriann Signori's blogs. They have traveled from afar to enjoy the plein air painting in Washington, and will be taking Richard McKinley's workshop and posting wonderful new things.

Astrid Volquardsen

Loriann Signori

Rocks and Fences of Springtime

Feather Rock
small, @ 4 x 5"
Pastel
Casey Klahn
point&shoot camera

Remnant Fence, Springtime
small, @ 5 x 7"
Pastel
Casey Klahn
pas camera

In a Wood
@ 9 x 12"
Pastel
Casey Klahn
pas camera

The first two are on sight paintings, and the last is a memory painting.  My apologies for the photography, which is my own.  I will post better ones when available.  But, I wanted you to see the latest things, especially very recent plein air paintings.

The Lighthouse Keeper

The Lighthouse Keeper
5" x 7"
Pastel
Casey Klahn

This was posted previously, but only as a scan. It is a studio finish from a plein air painting made on the Oregon coast.

Did you know that lighthouses, back in the day, would burn whale oil or kerosene? And, what's more, they were as popular for tourists in the nineteenth century as they are now. Except, of course, the travel there was harder.

The gift store by this lighthouse had paper models of the lighthouses. I imagined using these, well lit, as studies for more paintings. Some day you'll see those here.

Yaquina Head Lighthouse.

Art of the Wood Shed

Through the Cedar Shed Door
5" x 7'
Pastel
Casey Klahn

The wood shed with the door open, revealing 5 gallon buckets. Painting finished on site.

Plein Air Cedar Shed

Cedar Shed with Stool
5" x 7"
Pastel
Casey Klahn

On site painting this month has been ticking along. A number of scenes around the garden ("cedar") shed have been done, featuring cast light and various surfaces. The surface is the light grey La Carte, but the results still are very warm.

I am bringing this post "over" from The Colorist because I want to follow my plein air project here, and keep the River Series going at that blog. Think: pastel paintings here, concepts and ideas there.

High Tide at the Jetty

The Jetty in Ocean Shores, Washington.
My Set-Up is the Guerrilla ThumBox and an Ampersand Panel.

The painting was begun at high tide, but as you can see the tide was going out by the time I took this photo. Interesting how the camera compresses reality - my painting is accurate for relief, showing more ocean above the jetty, but the photo makes the ocean appear flattened.

I had to drive to my home town area this past weekend for a funeral. The art kit went with me, since I have had a desire to do some images from there for some time. Specifically, I want to do a series on the Hoquiam river.

This painting of the wild Pacific Ocean hitting the rock jetty in Ocean Shores, WA has some things I like. The technique of pastel strokes is pleasing. The colors are accurate, it seems. But, an interesting thing happened with this rare plein air session. I had my new large box of pastels, which is organized by hue first, and value second. My smaller boxes are purely organized by value. So, wouldn't you know it? The painting I rendered in this method suffered a little for having incorrect values! I'll keep this in mind for my next efforts, and I'll see if I wish to correct this one in the studio. Live and learn.

As things turned out, the drive was too hard for me this close after my surgery. I know - I should be well by now, but such is the case. I did get some good family and college buddy visits in, but after one morning session at the beach, I was wiped out. I tried a second session at the mouth of the Copalis River, but circumstances and wind got the better of me.

Not to despair, though. I did take my camera with me. More importantly, I had my eyes, too. Paintings will follow.