After dropping off in temperature and raining a bit, the weather turned and climbed back into the 90's again, if only for a couple of days. I took advantage of the heat to sit out on the deck and do a plein air painting (within a few steps of a cold pitcher of iced tea!) Frequently when I try painting outdoors, I am frustrated that I don't capture what I am after; the brushwork is sloppy and the values seem off. I find that if I bring it back to the studio, I can sometimes do another piece using the color information from the sketch, and that redeems it somewhat. But this time, for whatever reason, the value and color shifts seemed more accurate, lending a depth to the painting, which was what I was focusing on, and the trees in the foreground do seem to be closer and shaded.
Poul Webb, over at Art & Artists, is a great source for in-depth study of various artists. Currently he is doing a 13 part series on Fantin-Latour, someone I have not paid much attention to over the years. But when I saw some of his portraits and lithographs, I was utterly charmed.
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