PLEIN AIR PAINTING and PREPERATORY SKETCH by TOM BROWN, CALIFORNIA HILLS and OAKS AT SUNSET

Winter rains bring welcome greenery to the hills in Southern California where I live. In summer months the hills turn brown, so I wanted to capture this moment on canvas.

Before beginning to paint I did several exploratory sketches to find the best composition. It’s an efficient way to work out the overall plan for a painting and avoid a false start when painting.

I’m showing one of my sketches here. In this sketch you can see the original vista I was considering, and how I eventually chose to select just the central portion. This was the part of the scene that truly caught my eye.

When I’m looking for fresh things to paint I sometimes take short painting trips like this, just going wherever the road leads me. I pull over when something catches my eye and paint it on the spot. Painting at the exact moment of inspiration seems to add something special to paintings.

This is another painting done like that, on the spur of the moment. Enjoy the view.

If this little jewel appeals to you, don’t let it get away. It’s one-of-a-kind and when it’s gone, it’s gone!

Thanks for looking.

Tom Brown

tombrownstudio@cox.net

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PLEIN AIR LANDSCAPE by TOM BROWN, WITH PHOTO OF SITE

When I’m looking for fresh things to paint I sometimes take short painting trips, just going wherever the road leads me. I pull over when something catches my eye and paint it on the spot.

Painting at the exact moment of inspiration seems to add something special to paintings.

Here, I liked how the big shapes of color and value worked together. And how the shadows danced across the road where I was standing. I wanted to catch the feeling of the sunshine and fresh air. And the stillness on this quiet country road where I was actually able to set up my easel right on the road. I didn’t see a single car the whole time I painted.

Luckily I had my camera and was able to shoot a photo of the site before I left. People often email me saying they learn something by being able to compare my painting with how the camera sees the same subject, so I’m including that photo here today. Enjoy!

Thanks for looking.

Tom Brown

tombrownstudio@cox.net

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IMPRESSIONIST 6x8 INCH PLEIN AIR PAINTING by TOM BROWN

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It was a quiet gray day, very peaceful. Something about this scene appealed to me and I decided to capture the serenity of the moment on canvas. As I painted this I shot a photo. I thought it might be interesting to show how the camera sees the same subject, and compare that with my interpretation of it in this painting. Enjoy!

Thanks for looking.

Tom Brown

tombrownstudio@cox.net

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IMPRESSIONIST 5x7 INCH PLEIN AIR PAINTING by Tom Brown

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This painting was done at the edge of a pond in a wildlife sanctuary, while I was teaching a Plein Air workshop for other artists. It features the edge of a small island in the pond. My primary interest in this composition was the abstract arrangement of shapes and colors in the scene, devoid of unnecessary detail. When I reached this point in the development of the canvas I felt I had captured what I set out to do and no further detail was necessary. I hope you can feel the same sense of joy in this one that I felt when painting it.

Thanks for looking.

Tom Brown

tombrownstudio@cox.net

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BLUE HERON 5x7 INCH PLEIN AIR PAINTING by Tom Brown

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This painting was done as a demonstration for other artists in a workshop I conducted. As I began the painting a very large blue heron landed close to us at the edge of the water. He settled in quite oblivious to us and held a steady pose. I didn't want to miss the opportunity and quickly included him in the composition. We snapped photos as this unfolded and I thought it would be interesting to show some of the photos here.

Thanks for looking.

Tom Brown

tombrownstudio@cox.net

CLICK HERE FOR MORE OF MY PAINTINGS:

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