I have just discovered plein air painting. I have only done it three times but I have enjoyed it immensely. I was thinking about it for some time but I would need a subject or place that inspired me.
My son and his family introduced me to a large woodland about an hour from my home town in Lincolnshire that is open to the public but not very well known. Hardly anyone visits it , especially on a Monday afternoon. In fact during my last three visits to the woods which have all lasted over two hours I have only bumped into three people. Anyway two of the paintings that I have done have turned out very well. I started both on site and then finished them at home. I think that I have caught the atmosphere of the place. The third picture which I started on site yesterday, will lets say a lot of work to complete it. In my defence, I was really pushed for time and I only had a window of ninety minutes. But in that time I blocked it in and got a feel for the place. I'll finish it at home. On a stranger note, I looked down at my paints and a Frog had jumped in!
On the reading front, I have recently read "A Short Book About Painting" by Andrew Marr. There are a lot of words in it.
I also read "The Story of Art Without Men" by Katy Hessel. This is a great book.