"Eastman Plaza Building", Watercolor, 2009, 12" x 16"

   

   I painted this one Sunday morning. The town was a little more quiet and the coffee shop was opening up for the day. There is something about an early Sunday morning in a town when the pace is a little slower and more relaxed than usual. A memory of growing up in Pompton Plains, my Dad used to go to the bakery and pickup jelly donuts and crumb buns for our breakfast. This painting has some of that memory instilled in it.

   My watercolor and oil paintings done outdoors are refered to as "plein air"*  paintings and are painted a more loose manner than my paintings done in the studio. These "plein air" paintings are usually done in one session. There is a lot to consider in doing this type of work. The biggest challege for me is the changing of the light. I prefer working in the early morning hours or late afternoon, when the light and shadows are more dramatic.

  

*En plein air (French pronunciation: [ɑ̃ plɛ ˈnɛr]) is a French expression which means "in the open air", and is particularly used to describe the act of painting outdoors.