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Friday, February 19, 2010

Painting Snapshots

On a vacation and don't have time to paint masterpieces? Consider painting "snapshots."

I know that when I go on vacation with the family, I can't paint as much as I'd like. Between hiking, touring and eating, there's precious little time left. But rather than settling for just taking photographs, I've found that making quick sketches is very rewarding. My sketches are usually 5x7, and I spend no more than 15 minutes on them. I sketch with pastel because it's quicker and easier to clean up than oil. And when I'm sketching, I don't fuss with composition or precise drawing and focus instead on mood and light.

Although I'm not on vacation right now, I did a couple of these little "snapshots" this morning while at Schnebly Hill. The weather is changing today, and rain is expected tomorrow. The light is different than it has been, with a bit of haze and more muted colors. I really wanted to capture the sense of the moment in these.

"Thunder Mountain View" 5x7, pastel contact Michael

"Wilson Mountain View" 5x7, pastel - contact Michael