Lavender and Hay Bales, Sault, Provence – oil on panel, 7 x 5 inches Click here to bid. This was one of my last paintings from Julian’s workshop in Provence last month. As usual, despite spending ages deciding which view to paint, I made a few mistakes during set up. The main mistake I made
Don’t Stand in the Sun! Second Plein Air Painting
I thought I’d picked a good spot.
There was slight shade on me, keeping the full Provence sun from baking my head, and I had good light on my panel.
The other workshop attendees were mostly in front of me, in my field of view and obscuring some of the scene. But I thought I’d be able to edit them out as I painted and make up the bits I couldn’t see.
Shaded Track in Provence
So here is my first ever plein air painting!
Well, I suppose that’s a bit of an exaggeration.
When I was on my foundation year at art college (post-school, pre-university) I spent quite a bit of time wandering around the North Yorkshire Moors, where I lived, doing little studies that then became very large paintings of rocks.
So it’s not quite the first. But it’s the first time I tried to to make a finished piece completely en plein air, and the first time I’ve painted outside for, erm, 30 years. I think.