One of the greatest challenges many artists face is painting outdoors. It can be both exhilarating and scary at the same time. The scary part is the changing weather and changing light. Clouds can move in without much warning, or an artist could get caught in a rainstorm. Clouds change the mood and light instantly if there were no clouds before. Rain can cause chaos as the artist tries save his oil paints from getting soaked. For the 3rd Annual Prescott Plein Art Art Festival, rain was in the forecast. I was excited to attempt to capture the stormy skies! At the same time, I was worried that we couldn’t get time to paint if the rain was too prolonged or intense. Luckily, the rainy weather held out until the last couple of days. This year’s event brought fresh artists and new excitement for the event. After we met and reviewed the schedule of events on Wednesday October 12th, we had the hard task of choosing where to paint for the next few days. Artists were asked to paint at designated locations for Friday and Saturday. The rest of the time could be spent anywhere in Yavapai County. I have my favorite places I like to hike and explore, since I grew up in the Prescott Area. For the first day of painting, I chose to take advantage of the clear weather and paint at Aspen Creek just outside Prescott on Copper Basin Road. I felt ambitious with a 16×20 panel to work on. However, I struggled getting in a zone at first. I scraped off my first attempt and turned to a different spot. Things went better and I was able to get most of the painting in before lunchtime. Later that afternoon, I decided to paint in the Granite Dells. Specifically, the Granite Gardens area. I found a spot in the shade and was inspired by the afternoon warm light. The light changed quickly as the sun lowered, making me keep the painting loose and vibrant. Friday morning, I met up with other artists at the Constellation Trailhead. I first set up by the parking lot for a nice view of the Granite Dells and a setting moon. This piece titled “Moonset in the Dells” exhibits palette knife work, a favorite way to paint texturally called impasto painting. Next, I moved into the shade of the grand oak trees just off the Constellation Trail for a colorful rendition of fall colors. Later that afternoon, I stayed closer to home and found a location near Fain Park that caught my eye. I hiked up a side drainage of Fain Lake and saw long shadows of an elm tree backlit by the afternoon sun. The quickly changing light forced me to keep the paint loose and free, a wonderful characteristic of plein air painting. There is no time to get caught up in all the details when time is limited. The last day to paint, Saturday, turned out to be rainy. I thought I could risk it by setting up in the pines at the base of the Thumb Butte trail. Luckily, it only sprinkled on me, and I shielded my paints with a board to be able to finish up. Next, I moved down to the Sharlot Hall Museum where other artists were set up. I really like the grounds at the museum with many mature trees and old historic buildings. I chose the Ranch House to paint with a fall colors tree framing it on one side. The wind started to kick up when I was almost done painting and rain started to fall. I dragged my easel and supplies into one of the old cabins to finish up before packing up as the rain started falling more heavily. Because of the chance for more rain, I waited for a break and set up close to home where I have an unobstructed view of Granite Mountain in the distance. Again, I was hit with rain, this time with big rain drops. I gathered up my stuff and rushed it to my garage where I could complete the painting. It was exhilarating to get caught in the rain and try to get the painting in before getting too wet! Everything worked out! The reception went well on Sunday. Many artists sold pieces, I did not. One or two have sold since the event. Inquire on availability if you are interested. A few are now on display at The Frame & I in downtown Prescott. The “Ranch House” painting is available at the Sharlot Hall Gift Shop located in downtown Prescott. Here is a slide show of the event:
Here are the finished paintings all together (click on a thumbnail to see the full image):
