You Gotta Risk it for the Biscuit

Maine is a lovely place but for about nine months out of the year, it's hell. It's cold, it's wet, and each season you start to forget what sunlight feels like. It makes total sense why it's the setting for most of Steven King's horror novels. However, it still demands to be painted.

I was driving home from work one day and the mist was just unreal. I could barely see the tail lights of the cars in front of me but it was intoxicating. I had to go out into it and explore a little like I use to when I was younger. I use to spend most of my free time wondering through the woods by my family's farm but as I get older other obligations keep me from wondering. But that day, I just went for it. Some times you need to let go of reason and follow your impulses despite the cold or my lack of water proof shoes. It was mid March and winter's cold clutch was beginning to loosen it's grip. However there was a ton of moisture in the air and the ground was still frozen. It's probably one of the most rainy times of the year if I had to guess.

Jams for this Session:

Billy Holiday - The Album Love Songs - #1 Easy Living

This probably took me about two hours, within that time my fingers had stiffened so much that I was worried they might fall off. I should probably invest in some flexible warm gloves for painting. We learn from our mistakes thought, right? #freazingmyassoff #riskitforthebiscuit #winter #fineart #pleinairpainting #Billyholiday #jazz #blues #eerie #Maine #maineartist #StephenKing #gloomy

It was "Spring Break" so I got a lot of these plein-air sessions in over the next few days

This one was one of my favorites. I remembered gloves this time so I wasn't as cold as last time. However it started actually raining while I was out painting. I know what you're thinking, how in the world did I manage to paint something while streams of water ran all down my canvas? Oil is hydrophobic so the rain drops didn't interfere with the paint I'd put on the canvas at all. It was odd and I'd never done it before so it was an interesting experience. There was this one time back in highschool, I painted with acrylics outside during the winter and they started to freeze on me when I combined them with water. It looked like I was painting with colored snow. When I got inside the warm house my painting started to melt on me and created this very interesting drippy affect. I'll add an image of that painting down at the bottom for those who are curious.

Jams for this Session:

Hank Williams Sr. - 40 Greatest Hits - #1 Ramblin Man

This was a one hour session. I managed to narrow them down to an hour in the cold to save my toes. Still didn't have water proof shoes haha #art #pleinairpainting #grandoleopry #hankwilliams #woods #twanky #blues #mainewoods #oldcountry #farmland #eerie

I nearly lost my toes for this one.

You know how photographers call a certain time of day the Golden Hour? Well it was March, I was getting out of work around 3:30 p.m. and the sun was already starting to set. Remember how I said each season Mainers begin to forget what sunlight feels like? I wasn't kidding. It's dark more than it is light and it's depressing. As I was driving home I caught a glimpse of the sun beginning to set and it projected this beautiful gold onto everything with wonderful blue shadows stretching out beside it. I raced home to set up my equipment to catch the last glimpse of fleeting golden light. This painting took me forty-five minutes and I swear to God I wouldn't have been able to stay out a moment longer. The ground I was standing on was soft while the sun was up and the moment it went down it began to freeze and so didn't my toes. They had soaked up some of the moister from a puddle I'd stepped in trying to set up my tripod. It's not my best plein-air painting it does have elements that I really enjoy. Certain brush strokes remind me of Master Impressionists that I admire like Monet and Sargent and the way in which this painting was made stays true to their principles: not to paint a moment longer when your light changes. This truly was a fleeting moment and I was able to capture form and light with just a little bit of the color. That's all I wanted. Perhaps if I'd gone out again the following sunsets I could have made this a lot better but I'm satisfied with the stage it's at. Some pieces aren't meant to be finished.

There was no time for Jams on this one. #traintracks #goldenhour #sunsets #winter #frozentoes #impressionism #claudemonet #johnsingersargent #art #pleinairpainting #siennapleinair #youngartist #maineartist #newenglandart #northerners #wildlings #freefolk

Here's that melty acrylic piece I did back in high school for those who are curious

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