Kenderdine Birches
8x8"
oil on panel
And now number three of the four tree top studies I did using the limited palette of Cad. Yellow light, Crimson, Phthalo Blue, Yellow Ochre and Titanium White. I don't actually think the Yellow Ochre got in much on this one. This is another painting on a MDF board primed with GAC-100 by Golden, so the colour of the board peaks through here and there. This happened to be Degen's favorite of the four (my instructor) I did that day.
It really hit home for me on these two intitial days up at Emma Lake just how much I enjoy painting en plein air. I love it. I love the fresh air, the sounds of the world around me, the warmth of the sun, the push I feel to work quickly and capture what I see in front of me. It's exciting and inspirational- that is until I inadvertently set up on top of an ant hill! Yup, and that is just what happened that delightful morning on Kenderdine Campus! I was happily painting away with no worries, just swatting the odd mosquito. Once in a while I felt something ticklish on my leg and I would brush it off, but soon it became more and more frequent until it began to drive me a bit nuts. Finally I looked down and ants were all over me!!! My shoes and pant legs were covered, and there were already a few on my paint shirt. Obviously some ants had gone up the leg of my jeans and that is what I felt tickling my leg; I literally had ants in my pants! And yes, I screamed... it wasn't primal, but it was a scream.
Stay tuned for more plein air adventures...
