"Afternoon Light, Shem's Creek", 9x12, oil on board, paintings of boats, Shem's Creek, Mount Pleasant Island, Charleston, South Carolina, marshes

"Afternoon Light, Shem's Creek", 9x12, oil on board
(Note: painted with a palette knife, click on image for a better view of the impasto.)

I have not been painting regularly for the last 6 months. Life sometimes gets in the way of our dreams and aspirations, and unfortunately I have lacked the ability to pick up where I left off 6 months ago.

I recall that when I regularly attended ballet class some years back, my technique and overall physical condition improved dramatically. There was a saying amongst the dancers that if you hadn't been to class in a month, it would take you two months to get back to where you were. In other words, it takes twice as long to get back to the point where you last were.

I think art is probably the same way. Not painting regularly has taken its toll on my confidence level, that's for sure. I know that drawing and  painting from life are what is now needed to recoup my confidence and joy in painting. Easier said then done, especially the painting from life part, as the Florida summer has already begun it's almost unbearable oppression on anyone who is outdoors for more than 10 minutes.

Anyway, last fall I was juried into the American Impressionist Society's annual exhibit, and to celebrate my success I decided to take a workshop with premier impressionist Kenn Backhaus in Charleston. The whole week was amazing, the show (my juried painting sold the first night!) was lovely and I met many new friends during the workshop. On the last day of the workshop we painted at Shem's Creek on Mount Pleasant Island just outside of Charleston. It was an artist's paradise- big shrimp boats, golden marshes and glorious sunsets.

My last plein air painting of the day was of a meandering marsh that led right into the inlet where some old boats were moored. This was the painting that I did there back in October and you can read more about it here.

I love how different it is to paint on location. You can practically breathe life into the painting when the scene is right there in front of you! Unfortunately, the scene was not right in front of me when I painted the same scene last night in a horizontal format. But I tried to recall my thoughts about the color of the day and the  warm light that lay across the marshes, as I painted the new one. I used a palette knife to paint the entire thing so I wouldn't get too hung up on all the details in the boats.

I was reminded of a bible verse as I cleaned my brushes last night- "Do not despise small beginnings", and so even though I feel as though I am starting to learn to paint all over again, at least I did it. And you have no idea how many beginnings have failed me these past weeks!

So onwards and upwards. I'll keep trying, and hopefully my confidence will return and my work will begin to improve again.

Thanks for reading.

"Afternoon Marsh, Shem's Creek", plein air, 9x12, Mt. PLeasant, Charleston, boats, marshes, plein air, paint out, plein air, American Impressionist Society

SOLD

"Afternoon Marsh, Shem's Creek", plein air, 9x12

This is a painting that I did in about one hour at Shem's Creek, in Mt. Pleasant, just a short drive from Charleston , South Carolina. It was the last day and afternoon of a three day American Impressionist Society workshop with Master Impressionist Kenn Erroll Backhaus. I can attest to the fact that Kenn is one of the best teachers that I have ever taken a workshop from. He was religious about making sure that he came around to every single person who was painting, offering pointers, gentle criticisms and asking questions that the painter may have inadvertently forgotten to ask himself!

In this painting, Kenn pointed out to me that the reverse "C" curve was too carefully crafted, making it look artificial. He asked me if I had intended it that way, and I was honest. I told him I was really tired and hadn't thought it through that all that much. So after studying it for a few moments, I realized that he was right and quickly made a few corrections, in order to make a stronger composition.

I liked the color harmony in this little study. It is a testament to the fact that it is always a good thing  to keep scraping your paint and use whatever you have left on your palette to help objects recede and form your "polluted" colors.

I loved Kenn's workshop and everything about the experience in Charleston. If you have not yet seen the gorgeous exhibit of the American Impressionist Society online, please go here to see all of the paintings, including the big winners in the show.

If you would like to purchase this little plein air study, just send me an email at maryannejacobsen@aol.com.