Bundle Up: Wintery plein aire painting

January 29, 2022 by SCL

Washington winters are fierce. I guess I should have already known that. But I can’t stay inside for six months. Sooo….

Bundle up, let’s go painting.

This is another one done at Discovery Park. I posted a few plein aire paintings from here last spring. It has a completely different look in the winter. Let’s try to capture that look.

Two hours of painting and I was shivering cold. No wondering when to stop, just paint until you freeze!

Captured atmosphere: Even without leaves, the moss makes the trees green. Red and purple leaves carpet the ground. Rows of bare trees disappear in the distance, obscured by misty fog. The land stays locked in suspended animation until spring opens it back up.

There’s no good way to paint with gloves. Sometimes it’s too cold to paint. These paintings usually take a few hours, and you lose heat fast. I would say, bring a good mat to sit on, take stretching breaks and bring a warm beverage. Of course I did none of these things, and froze my ass off.

But don’t get discouraged! It’s worth it. Landscape painting is all about being in the landscape. You can only paint winter in winter.

Pictured: my sanity crumbling in the eldritch horror of how frickin cold that water is

I think the best thing for me to do is to keep getting outside. The days are dark and it’s really easy too stay inside too much during the winter. Many of my friends warned me, and they were not wrong. Winters up here can really drive ya crazy.

And what do we do when we feel crazy? Make art!