Winter Barn in Plein Air

© dweaverart

I had been watching the weather forecast for the week and the meterologist had forecasted for warm weather.  I had got of from work and I said to myself I'm going to paint today.  I did not plan on painting. It was unseasonally warm for Feburary.  I went home and mixed my paints as I always do for a limited palette.  I got all my supplies needed to paint in plein air and lefted the house to paint.  There was just off the road a train crossing but I was not in a good place to paint in plein air do to privacy.  I went further on down the road and crossed the highway and found a good location to paint.  I shouldn't be picky about locations to paint at but when I don't feel it or it is unsafe to paint there I will not paint.  I usually look for places that have a great center of interest with some verticals.  I wanted to arive there before the clouds rolled in.  My goal was to paint the light and shadow but the sun had went behind the clouds.  The weather conditions became overcast.  I was determined to paint something.  I found a barn in a distant field off the road and I painted it. 

© dweaverart

Whenever I paint in plein air I paint using acrylics.  I took the time to prepare to plein air paint even though it was on the spur of the moment.  I had premixed my colors limited in colors going from left to right at the top of my palette raw umber, phthalocyanine blue, and cadmium medium red.  Now from the bottom going from righ to left is titanium white, cadmium yellow light, and yellow orche.  I used a palette knife and used some slow drying medium to premix the paint. 

© dweaverart

I was pleased with the outcome even though I did not have much time to paint.  I took me 40 minutes to paint this painting.  I had stained the canvas with yellow orche.  All my colores where dulled down using other color instead of straight out of the tube because they are too rich or vibrant in intensity.  Whenever I paint in plein air my goal is to be loose as possible.  The brushes I used to create this painting where a round brush, flat, filbert and a liner brush.  Despite the time of the day it was very rewarding just to get out doors and paint.