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Painting in Paradise

12/29/2012

4 Comments

 
Picture
"Mission Courtyard" 11" x 14"
Like Monet, I focus on one location and paint the same scene over and over. Since the light effects are constantly changing, the scene is always engaging. One location that inspires me is the mission at San Juan Capistrano. As I paint this location over time and on different days and times of year, I understand it better and am more able to capture subtle nuances. These are things I would have missed had I only painted it on a single occasion.
Throughout this page, you’ll see paintings done in the same courtyard, under varying light conditions. The first painting (featured above) is a sunny afternoon where everything is bathed in brilliant sunlight. If you compare this painting to Courtyard Sun (below), you can see that the light in this morning painting is  yellower when compared to the morning light of Morning Mission Pathway (second below) which is pinker and softer. Comparing Courtyard Sun with Morning Mission Pathway, which were done at approximately the same time in the morning, you will notice that Morning Mission Pathway has more atmosphere. These subtle shifts in color indicate a shift in the light effect. Finally (third below), I painted this same scene on a gray day. Ultimately, the light/dark contrast is less and the light planes are cooler. Because the light on this type of day is cooler, the shadow planes in comparison to these cool planes look warmer. This is also the case for the sky which looks  very warm in comparison.

Picture
"Courtyard Sun" 11" x 14
Picture
"Morning Mission Pathway" 11" x 14"
Picture
"Mission Gray Day" 9" x 12"
As a side note, when I was painting this gray day scene I overheard some artists talking near me. They were complaining that there wasn’t anything to paint and they hated this gray day light.  I was having entirely the opposite experience. Gray day light happens to be one of my favorite lights to paint. I am inspired by gray days because, although they are more difficult because of the hard-to-capture subtleties and nuances, they are nonetheless filled with color. I guess you have to paint this light repeatedly to really appreciate it. As the artists were talking, I wanted to stop and explain to these artists the beauty I saw in this gray day. The subtle gray days allow me to fully appreciate the brilliance of sunny days. The infinite variety of light effects found in nature keeps me constantly amazed, coming back to my easel again and again.

4 Comments
Susie Andeson link
12/30/2012 12:56:09 pm

Aloha Camille,
You are a true inspiration for all of us artists by challenging us to capture the various moods of one favorite muse spot, including grey days. Mahalo! Susie

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Bruce Bingham link
12/30/2012 04:52:17 pm

Glad to find your blog. Very good information and explained well. You are a master of nuance! I wish I could 'follow' so that every post would hit my inbox! Bruce

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Dottie Branchreeves link
3/9/2013 09:05:02 pm

Love your work! Going to check-in for your New York City workshop, if you'll have me. Can't wait to see what you show us for Plein Air, like those artists on the gray day, I don't see a thing. I need "SIGHT". Excite me, please! So happy that you are a blogger. Dottie

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Vista College link
7/28/2013 11:10:07 pm

Aloha Camille, You have really done an amazing work. I really impressed with your art..Keep it up

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    Plein Air colorist, who is passing on the Hensche/Hawthorne tradition

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