En Plein Air: Wooden Bridge at the Hut Tropical Garden

Oil,  9 x 12

 

 

According to Lee Plein Air group's schedule, we were supposed to paint the Lakes Park. I painted there before and wasn't very crazy about the artificial park views. That is why when Penny and Brian suggested that we went to paint at the Hut Tropical Garden or Community Center, I immediately agreed even though I had never been to the Hut and didn't know what it looked like. Since I was new to everything: the group and the place and didn't know how the activity was  usually proceeded. I simply went to the place and found a view to paint, so I set up and got started. By the time I was finished, I sort of remembered my experience last week when I went to Doc. Ford's Rum Bar to paint. From beginning to the end, I didn't see anyone from the group. I had to tell myself maybe that was the way it should be. Out of curiosity this morning, I called Penny. I was sorry that when I was painting at the tropical garden, she and Brian were waiting for me at the Community Center for about 10 minutes.

 

The Hut was a quiet rustic area, very paintable. When I saw the wooden bridge, I decided to paint it right away. The only unpleasant thing might be the puppies. When I was setting up, out of nowhere, four or five puppies followed me and barked at me tirelessly. At first I simply ignored them. These youngsters might have mistaken my tolerance for encouragement to their arrogance. They not only kept barking at me, but also came closer and closer. The endless noise made it hard for me to concentrate. Therefore, I picked up a chunk of dirt and threw it in the puddle near them. The splash made them back up. By then, a worker came out of the back door of the building and helped me get rid of them.

 

 





Today's Alla Prima: After Shower

Oil 8 x 11

 

 

There must be heavy showers over the night or before daybreak here in this area. When was biking on Leeland Heights like usual, I had to pass one puddle after another. On my way back I realized they  actually formed beautiful pictures with the reflections in them. The realization inspired me to make this picture. It took only an hour.



En Plein Air Today: Salty Sam's Marina, Fort Myers Beach

Oil 9 x 12

 

 

I went to Fort Myers Beach this morning and drove around Estero Blvd.  I was a little confused because before I left home I thought it was Continental Ave, but I saw only Connecticut Ave.. There was nothing to paint. The view of water was blocked by vegetation, so I stopped by on beach across from Connecticut Ave. The view on the beach was too commonplace, sort of like Hallmark cards. Therefore, I decided to go to Main St. again. I meant to paint Salty Sam's I saw the moment I got there. It was a hazy purplish blue silhouette with trees, everything blurred into a large bluish chunk. I knew the view would soon change drastically, so I set up quickly on a narrow dock. As I expected, the sun would not wait for me. When I had my things set up, what I saw was different. The sun had already shed light on the tip top of something. I was painting out of effect of my first impression but had to compromise it with what was in front of me. Salty Sam's building was kind of colorful. the top being yellow while the bottom bluish emerald. 



That Is What Art Is About

You can't help but like the unknown graffiti artists' works in the following link. Their creativity can not simply be hampered by their unfavorable environment:

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/324fat/:1FbDHKmNf:PeJZ8zOV/www.streetartutopia.com/?p=10554/

En Plein Air: Harns Marsh, Lehigh Acres, FL

This morning I went to Harns Marsh Preserves for the first time. Even though I live in Lehigh, not till recently did I hear about this place. It is a quiet place for fishing and bird watching. When I got there, there were two fishermen. They caught some tilapia. Later a Finnish American Photographer Rauno Teravainen came with his camera. Judging by the beautiful picture on his card, he must be a great photographer.

The whole painting took only an hour and a half, not including the setting up time. The marsh presented its beauty in natural simplicity. Hope I did her justice.



En Plein Air: Sunday at Owl Creek Boat Works

This morning I went to Owl Creek Boat Works in Alva. Usually there was always someone there on weekend: boat owners got on board their boat preparing to go to the sea or came back to dock their boat; some workers could be busy maintaining their own sailing boats or motorcycles.  However, today there wasn't a soul in the place. A black cat kept coming to rub my legs with its side and tail. I hoped it would rub some bad luck off me instead of on me because I have more than enough. It was so quiet that the only noise I heard was made by the wind which whipped some loose sail wraps. Occasionally I heard a splash from the waterway behind me, made either by fish, frogs, or gators. I positioned myself behind the office. Not till I almost finish my painting did someone come walking his dog there. I am glad I decided to paint this morning instead of going fishing.



Introducing My Favorite Contemporary Plein Air Artist Marc Dalessio

Marc Dalessio is not only one of my favorite contemporary landscape artists but is also a faculty member of Florence Academy of Art. As a matter of fact, he is a role model and an inspiration to me as a plein air artist. Now I realize that even before I discovered Dalessio, what I pursued in plein air painting happened to have something in common with his practice. For instance, I loved to do quick oil sketches in authentic environment in order to distill beauty from reality. I never hesitated to go into places like a small Cuban restaurant to do oil sketches or paint figures while they were doing whatever they usually did in a totally natural situation. However, I was or am not as fast as he is to do an impromptu painting inside his car in an accidental traffic jam. As soon as I learned about what he was doing, I became very self-conscious in training myself in these skills and began to be clear about what I wanted to look for in my own art world. I also stole a lot of good ideas from him. For instance, I made my own guerrilla painting kit because he made his out of a cigar box. he is very generous with his creative ideas in his website http://www.marcdalessio.com/. You don't have to spend a fortune on luxurious art equipment. It is more fun to make them out of nothing. The following are some of his plein air works.