An Impressionistic "En Plein Aire" Demonstration...
It has often been said that "art imitates life and life imitates art"... and there is valid truth to that statement. Life is a progression, a maturing movement, and is often... not what it seems. Ones art talent naturally is a progression (at least hopefully) that matures with time, practice, and experience. Artwork, in many cases, through technique takes on a progression through stages and matures to completion. What about those in between stages where things aren't as they seem?... a stage that can actually be UGLY! Just like in life... patience, perserverance, and hard work produce masterpieces that we never dreamed of.
This next painting is a great visual example of the statements listed above. Another one done "en plein aire" on location in the mountains of North Carolina. Once again, Tami dropped me off, this time in a field where I had been observing these haystacks all week. In the Blue Ridge Mountains near Boone, NC, the open fields are covered with these haystacks (haybales is probably a better name) in the early summer... a beautiful site. I wanted to try and paint them similar to Monet's impressionistic style since we both seemed to have a thing for haystacks.
Stage 1...
Find a spot similar to Monet's in composition.
Stage 2...
A simple charcoal sketch for composition.
Stage 3...
I blocked in areas with the complimentary color as an under-painting per say to the colors I planned on using. Nothing fancy... used a brush and a palette knife. You could call this the UGLY stage.
Stage 4...
Painted sky and tree line with small dabs using a paint brush. Painted the stacks and field with short linear strokes with a small palette knife.
Stage 5...
Refined and refined some more... and at last finished in about 2 1/2 hours time.
"Haystacks near Todd, NC", 12"x9" Oil on Canvas Board, "en plein air", 2005. 
Close-up showing brushwork.
OK... looks a little more Van Gogh-ish than Monet-ish.... but.... what the hay!
Bernie
Orginally posted 11/2005 on my Art Journal blog...
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