En Plein Air, Cheltenham
I finally broke out of the studio to participate in a plein air event at Montpellier Gardens, Cheltenham. I felt a bit tight because I'd spent the past several months getting carried away with my portraiture studies and life drawing, so I was a little nervous about it. Could I remember how to paint? What didn't help was the intimidation of trying something I'd not done before: buildings! My plan of action was to be methodical and paint fast, think slow. I had five hours after all. If you are unfamiliar with plein air competitions, it works like this: turn up with your surface, get it stamped to confirm you haven't painted it outside the competition time frame, find a spot within the boundaires of the event location, expressively interpret what you see by the allocated deadline, submit for judging, mingle with other artists to share experiences of the day whilst the judges make their decision, then enjoy the prize giving and hope you get some appreciation for yo...
