Colorful plein air painting

When I get the opportunity to head out with my folding stool and paint, I grab it! Colorful plein air painting in oils with palette knife, scrapers, textures. Often is simpler to just grab my iPad and stylus and do digital plein air painting with Adobe Sketch and Procreate.

My plein air painting journey began with a painting trip to Mexico with 3 fellow artists in 2014. I started plein air painting with oil sticks and watercolor and eventually figured out how to carry along my water miscible oil paints, folding stool and easel.

Years of working to strict time limits in weekly life drawing, occasional life painting and urban sketching has trained me to work really fast. Plein air painting and urban sketching have become wonderful ways to experience some interesting places and give real purpose and focus to travels, near and far.

Digital plein air painting

I’m excited to use digital painting now for colorful plein air painting! After mastering it with life drawing, I’m excited to take it out into the real world, into places like churches, museums, private homes that a painter would find it hard or impossible to bring real oil paints into. Digital painting is SO portable and clean, welcome anyplace.

Thanks to my wonderful husband Dennis for getting bitten with the urban sketching bug and dragging me along! Thanks Jan Poynter for Gibsons Paint Out event.