>En Plein Air

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This afternoon, something inspired me to try my first Plein Air painting. I noticed that this month, EBSQ is having a Plein Air show. So, in an attempt to get a little more involved on the site, I decided to enter a piece.

Usually when one thinks of 'Plein Air', they think of an artist heading out into the great outdoors with pencil or paintbrush in hand. And, by the great outdoors, I mean a mountaintop, the ocean, the forest, the desert, etc.... Well, I went out on my deck! There, I noticed that some beautiful rhododendrons were spilling over the side of the fence just above the parking lot of my condo building. So, I brought all my supplies outside and tried to paint what I saw.

The above photo shows my easel, and the faraway view of my subject, the rhododendrons.

Here is a closer look at my subject.

I never had any formal training in painting, and I didn't know the proper way to execute such a piece. So, I just started mixing some colors, and gave it a shot. Here is the first stage of my piece.

Here is the second stage of the piece. At this point, I put away my paints, and reached for some seed beads:)

This is the finished piece, entitled 'Rhododendrons on Presidents Hill'. The pink flowers are size 15 Japanese seed beads that were stitched on directly over the paint. This an artist trading card. It measures 2.5" x 3.5".

You can view all of the entries in EBSQ's Plein Air show here: http://www.ebsqart.com/ArtShows/cmd_98_Exhibition_Entries.htm

I loved this experience, and plan to try it again in the future:)