Well. So much for my plans to blog throughout the Adirondack Plein Air Festival. It ended yesterday, and I spend much of the morning and early afternoon today snoozing. But what a great and valuable experience! It's all a blur now, but here's my after action report, as far as I can remember. 

 

Day 1:

Getting there and signing in. Then going out to paint under a bridge. Then a very awkward mixer in the evening, which is not my thing at all, followed by some nocturne painting. Sometime I will have to write about the unnerving and kind encounters I had during that adventure. 

 

 

 

Day 2:

Painting at Paul Smith's College Visitor Interpretive Center (VIC), a gorgeous and well-maintained slice of the Adirondacks that features marshes, streams, forests, sweeping vistas, and very nice bathrooms (most importantly). I started out in the morning situated under a bridge, where I attempted making sense of a jumble of boulders ("glacial remains," as a passerby astutely pointed out) in a stream. It started out well, but I don't think I stepped back from it enough to ensure the composition worked; in the end, I felt it did not. But I had a very companionable paint session with a fellow painter who stayed on the bridge. 

 

In the afternoon, I progressed to another bridge and knocked out a smaller view upstream that had a more solid composition. 

 

 

Day 3:

Painting wherever around Saranac Lake. I was miffed that the glacial remains did not turn out well yesterday, so I headed back to take another go at the view from the opposite side of the bridge. I think because I had seen this view yesterday and had a clear idea of what I wanted to paint, the piece flowed much better and the composition was more solid. It was also a cloudy day, which cut down on some of the vexations of changing light, and I was feeling more confident. The resulting piece is my favorite from the week. And I don't remember if I painted anything else that day, so it must not have been that memorable. Oh! A cloudscape. But it was meh. 

 

My fav, a 10"x20"

 

 

Day 4: 

Painting the town! The light on Wednesday and Thursday was so odd, almost like a bright and half-sunny cloudy sky. It also rained in the morning, so when I rolled into town, I decided to default to familiarity — painting in the car. I lucked out with a great parking spot right on Main Street and felt very happy for the safety and security being in the car provided as cars whizzed past and people walked by (that little town gets BUSY). 

 

 

We also had to paint a small piece for a silent auction and turn it in by 5 p.m. that afternoon. I was rather done-in by all the energy of sitting on the main drag for a few hours, so I just did something relatively easy and uninspiring in a park on the edge of town. I wish I had energy to do more, but it was what it was. Then, after I turned that it, like an airhead, I just went home and forgot that the judging for the nocturne painting contest was to be that evening. Not being there would've been fine, only I won and felt like a jerk for blowing it off. Ah well...

 

 

Day 5:

Supposedly, painting at a rod and gun club. Only I must've done something to my alarm the night before, because I was awakened not by it, but by my dear cat meowing in my face. BREAKFAST PLEASE. Thank you, Clyde, or I probably would've slept till noon. So I got a late start and decided that by the time I found the gun club, I wouldn't have enough time to paint. I went back to the VIC and painted a throwaway of the creek. Stressed and uninspired! But that's how it goes some days.

 

To be painted over later

 

In the afternoon, we had to hang our paintings in the show venue by 2 p.m., so I hustled over there, a hot and sweaty mess, and put my stuff up. I also got a glimpse of all the other work. Some very impressive stuff in all different styles and sizes. I later hung out in a parking lot by the police station and painted the dramatic sky over the station. I'll have to work on this one more. It needs a car in the front, but all the cars left before I could get to them. How rude!

 

Later I joined up with my lovely parents, who drove over the river and through the woods to go to the collectors preview show that evening. Hilarious and fun to see them. Thank you to my biggest fans and cheerleaders for making the trek! 

 

 

Day 6:

Can we go home yet? lol! 

 

Those who wanted to could take part in a quick draw, in which we had two hours to crank something out and have it framed and on the Town Hall steps by 11 a.m. Favoring parking lots and back alleys, I chose a subject behind the hall, and wow — what service! I had a full crew of food and beverage suppliers and photo documenters. (Thank you, Mom and Dad! They sadly had to go back home partway through.) 

 

My quick draw piece

 

Then, the show was from noon to 5 p.m., and I'll be honest — it was not fun. I felt like this woman in an old MadTV skit who brings a macaroni salad to a cookout, only no one eats it. Very happy for and impressed by other people who could work the crowd and sell stuff, but that was not me. Apart from when some friends very sweetly made the trek to see the show, I spent much of the time standing awkwardly against the wall or on the back steps with others who were getting some fresh air. I did not sell anything, and by the time 5 p.m. rolled around, I was very ready to flee. I drove the hour and a half back home feeling overwhelmed by how hard this kind of life must be — going around to shows and trying to sell your work. Alas, I should expect to keep my day job for much longer... 

 

Don't be a wallflower!

 

Takeaways:

I am still amazed at how lovely and kind so many of the fellow artists were. Even though this was technically a competition, I suppose, I did not pick up on any competitive or calculating vibes, only friendliness, camaraderie, enthusiasm, and support. Even at the show, other artists sought me out to give me very positive feedback and tips about other events. Hopefully I'll see a lot of them again at other plein air festivals. Because yes — I would like to do it again! In spite of the exhaustion and occasional awkward social encounters, I had a blast and feel incentivized to keep practicing and try again next year. 

I recently used up a week of vacation days near one of my favorite woodland haunts, where I challenged myself to get out and paint every day. Needless to say, it was both inspiring and exhausting, but by the end I had quite a little collection of pieces that ranged from “meh” to “hey, that’s not bad!” What I found the most helpful about having this uninterrupted week to explore painting locations and try new motifs was the time and energy to paint something, feel disappointed, think how to do it better next time, and then do it again, hopefully with more favorable results. 

 

During a normal week when I have to go to work, I may paint something, be disappointed, and think about how to improve upon it, but then it’s time for bed and the grind the next day. I’m sure on some level I’m incorporating and learning, but the payoff isn’t nearly as apparent or gratifying since it has to wait until the next paint session next week, by which time I’ve usually lost interest. 

 

Here are some of the initial boo-boos I made during Jennifer's Week of Fun and how I incorporated their lessons as the week progressed. 

 

The Waterfall.

 

 

While I do like this piece and had an awesome time painting it — I saw some river otters (!!!) and was photographed by hikers who thought my painting out there was “very special” — I was disappointed with it when I got home. It came out much darker than I anticipated. I surmise this was a combination of painting with strong, bright light behind me, which threw off my eyeballs, my own inclination to paint extreme lights and darks, and the sad reality that water-mixable oils tend to dry a little darker. I hope the paint scientists are working on that last one, and while I wait, I can try to adjust for the previous two.

 

The Mossy Rocks.

 

 

I love moss. For whatever inexplicable reason, I have always been drawn to these tiny little pillows of green goodness. Naturally, then, I am enamored with a certain location where the delta of a small brook as it runs into the river forms a mossy heaven of rocks and reflections. I tried in this piece to capture some of that bryophytic delight, but I think I dove in too fast and didn’t think about the composition enough. I was also panicked by the shifting dappled light, and responded by throwing globs of paint on in no particular order instead of working methodically, dark to light. The result was less than stellar and not a little disappointing.

 

The One for the Scraped Pile. 

 

 

Similarly, in another attempt at the mossy delta, I think I focused on rendering the details too much and not the overall composition. By the end, there were passages I liked, but overall, it was a disappointing composition that got scraped. 

 

The Grand Finale. 

 

 

The very last piece I did was deliberate, meaning no rudderless tromping through the woods waiting for inspiration to strike. I had an idea of a scene in my mind and I took pictures the day earlier so I could go home and plan in the evening. I sketched out the general shapes before I ventured out on the final day, and I brought along a value chart to remind myself to aim for a lighter value, even when I was inclined to go for my usual super-dark darks. The result, while not a masterpiece, was my favorite from the entire week, and I think it’s because I was a little more relaxed and confident as I painted since I knew where I was going and didn’t have to flail about. 

 

In sum, if I can remember to take all these steps in preparation to make it easier for myself, I might not be disappointed as much. That’s not to say that aimless wandering and spontaneous painting have no place, but maybe I can boost my success rate from one or two out of five, to one out of two, or even two out of three! But I for sure had a successful plein air painting week if I judge it based on the tongue-in-cheek criteria developed by some friends of mine: if you’re not exhausted and a little disappointed, you’re doing it wrong.     

 

 

 

As I write, Fiesta is concluding its final weekend in San Antonio, Texas. I was lucky enough to be there last week when it began, and although I have not fully recovered from the breakneck pace of my whirlwind trip, I have digested it enough to be able to articulate some takeaways.

 

First of all, what is Fiesta? It’s basically a 10-day, citywide party that feels a bit like Mardi Gras. And the editors conference I was attending just happened to occur at the start of it. Coincidence? We’ll never know, but I will say that some of those editors can really let loose.

 

I actually attended my last three years of high school in San Antonio when my family was stationed there 20 years ago. Which is just so weird, because that means I’m pushing 40 … Anyway, I set my mind to make the most of my time there, frolicking around old stomping grounds and painting when I wasn’t attending the conference sessions.  

 

My thumb pochade from art_lifehack was perfect for this trip. I modified the palette with a piece of Plexiglas that folds out for extra mixing space, and I was pleased with how it worked. I could pack everything into a small backpack and go!

 

The Go Bag! Clockwise from top: Thumb pochade; brush carrier from Prolific Painter; paints with manufacturer's safety form for TSA; rags (old T-shirt pieces); tape and palette cup; and panel carriers, bottom by Prolific Painter and top by Masterpiece.

Sunrise on the Riverwalk turned out to be the best time for painting and enjoying the beauty. Pretty much only joggers and walkers were out, but they didn’t talk to me much, except to give encouragement. It was also blissfully empty and cool, much cooler than I remembered it ever being down there. I started a 6” x 8” of the Selena Bridge the first morning, but then lost the light, so came back the next morning to finish it up. After the sun rose, I turned around and painted in the opposite direction, but couldn’t finish it, because — like a noob — I ran out of white and had forgotten the tube in my room. Oh well.

 

  

Bright and early — ew. End of Day 1 (middle) and Day 2 (right).

Friday after the sessions, I wandered around downtown and settled upon a street scene at the edge of the San Fernando Cathedral square. It wasn’t too busy, but wouldn’t you know it — the Crowning of the Fiesta King was in full swing by the time I packed up. Here I was stretched by many more interactions with people. Even though I was sitting sort of behind a sign and some bushes, I was still visible, and people were not shy in coming over. I was also kept company the entire time by a gentle-natured man who was perhaps experiencing homelessness. Painting is a perfect excuse to focus and not fully engage in conversation! But he didn’t seem to mind, and I felt a deep sense of camaraderie by the time I was done.

 

Off the cathedral square. 4" x 6"

 

I learned the most from the last piece I did during one of my lunch breaks. My room was at the end of the hallway on the seventh floor, right next to a full-length window overlooking a slice of the Riverwalk. I only had an hour, so any time I started fussing with details, I reminded myself to keep moving (out loud, which scared the hospitality woman). I had been looking at some of the pieces by Pete the Street from London the night before. He sketches big shapes of thin color, then sort of draws details over them. I tried that as best I could, and even though I ran out of time to put the cars in, I was fairly pleased with the results.

 

    

Lurking from on high ... 6" x 8"

While I packed my paint tubes in my checked luggage on the way down, I took a chance and carried them with me on the way back — and no problem. A five-hour layover in Dulles gave me time to do one more piece, an 8” x 10”. Again, positive interactions with people, but also, again, nice to have the excuse of needing to focus.

 

Next post, I’ll share a bit about my formative years there and the impact they had on my art. And, more about Fiesta, of course! Oh there was reveling … Viva! 

 

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