Painting Cows near a Windmill

Painting Cows near a Windmill.

- Cows Move!

Cows move, but painting cows in movement will make sure you don't end up with 'dead' shapes. I've written about it hundreds of times I guess, the wonders of plein air painting and how one of these wonders, the most important one, is about painting 'truth': Liveliness. Realness. The actual moment. The actual character and feeling of the moment. Alive shapes, alive movement, actual colors.

Capturing the Illusive moment: Persist!

Tips

1)

Some say "Maybe I'll try plein air" and that's a very good thing. When you do take the challenge just be sure to persist. Because it isn't easy. You will need a lot of trials and a lot of errors to grasp bit by bit your way of capturing the elusive moment. And when you do see yourself grow, day by day, effort by effort it's such a joy. I've been where most beginners are too: I trashed my paintings on several occasions at the boulevard nearest trash bin, disappointed by my results. Often you Know you Can do it, but it doesn't come out. You'll have to persist. That's what I did, so you can do it too.

2)

One second piece of advice: don't stand still too much with any end result, just focus on creating new. This way any end result is 'not a matter of life and death' you can more easily 'just create'.

3)

A third piece of advice: don't put your end results where you can scrutinize them 24/7, you'll drive yourself crazy. Just put them somewhere flat to dry, like in a drying cabinet.

LSU02-2015 Landscape Plein air 'Painting Cows near a Windmill'
oil on canvas, 24x30 cm | 9.6" x 11.8" Find Landscapes for Sale here: