It had just stopped raining in Southern California, after most of March seeing a lot of rain. I wanted to capture the bright green hills and the strong shadows in the foreground and in the horizon. I played around with the idea of leaving the large tree crossing through the frame as negative space, but as I added more texture I left the areas where the light was touching as crisp white. A stark contrast to the rest of the piece fully covered in paint and color.
Plein Air
Painting from life, is always a special way of creating art. Capturing the energy of the moment and getting to decide which parts to include or not include. By utilizing a limited pallet and limited brushes, I am forced to get creative in how each detail is portrayed.
