Plein Air Painting in the Southern Snowstorm of 2010
Three inches of snow fell tonight here in Mt. Pleasant on the coast of SC.
The sight of the falling snow inspired me to get out my easel to paint the beauty of this rare moment.
It's an understatement to say that painting in the snow tonight was a "learning experience".
First lesson.
. Don't try to paint without cover while the snow is still falling. It seemed so dry at first....
Second lesson: Anchor the easel well into the ground. I usually do but in the excitement of the snowstorm (and the wind had been calmer) I forgot. You can see the predictable result in this picture.
Third Lesson: Snow can turn to rain very quickly...See lesson one about painting 
under a cover.
With my charcoal sketch on a cold, wet easel I decided I've "learned" enough tonight. I've sketched an interesting composition and have enough reference material to finish the painting in the studio.
For me, the value of plein air painting is as much the "process" as the "product"...
It was a fun painting challenge, but I think Mother Nature won this round.
Either way, it was a beautiful night.
3 comments:
Too bad about the blue heron in your picture. Made me look twice...
Another friend said the heron statue fooled him too. It was cold last night but not cold enough to turn things into stone:))).
LOL - Great post - briefly thought about taking a stab in the snow, but then the lights went out and I was distracted...
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