Just in time for Halloween, I joined the Yosemite Sierra Artists for a Plein-Air outing at Oak Hill Cemetery in Oakhurst, CA. It was so great to paint and reconnect with my mountain artist friends! It was a beautiful, cool day in the Sierra Foothills. Perfect for Plein-air.
Usually, I prefer oil painting with a palette knife when I’m outdoors. The cleanup is easy and there’s less stuff to lug around. This time I decided I would try painting with acrylics. I chose Golden’s Open paint as it doesn’t dry as quickly as traditional acrylics. I figured I’d have time to work the paint and it would still dry quickly enough for me to layer and glaze.
I’ve had great results with the Open line in the studio but I really fought it out in the field. My struggles were not due to problems with the product, they were definitely due to user error. I was not patient enough to let it set up and I kept lifting the paint. In the end, I let go and painted over the day’s work.
I did get some great photographic shots while I was out there and turned one of my photos into cool digital art:
The excursion was another reminder that the creative process is truly about the journey and not about the destination. The day was truly good for my soul!