‘The Spirit is Calling’              8×10            pastel

I have seen the light! Never has the benefits of painting outdoors been so clear to me. There are so many lessons I learned at the 1st Annual Plein Air Convention. It was inspiring, informative, motivating and just fun to be around so many people with the same passion for painting that I have. I will be sharing some of the wonderful things I learned over the next week but I would like to begin with the most important lesson. Painting en plein air really does help you see better.

The term “plein air” (derived from the French, “open air”) is used to describe painting that is done outdoors, directly from nature. Plein air painters seek to capture the varied, shifting effects of light and atmosphere on the landscape.

I have always enjoyed painting outdoors but I just didn’t make enough time to go out. I figured my photos would be good enough. But I know now that if I really want to become a better painter, I need to paint outdoors more often. If you would like to see more plein air paintings from my trip to the 1st Annual Plein Air Convention visit my daily painting blog here.

‘John Wayne Country’                 8×10               pastel            ©Karen Margulis

The landscape of the Southwest is calling to me! I am so glad that I decided to attend the 1st Annual Plein Air Convention in Las Vegas. Next week I will have an opportunity to paint in Red Rock Canyon and I can’t wait. Not to mention all of the wonderful artists who will be there…both the instructors and the attendees.

I am working this week on desert landscapes so I can test my pastel box of colors that I plan to bring. Yesterday I did a painting that depicts the red rocks with intense late afternoon light. I was going for the glow on the rocks. You can see the painting HERE. For today’s painting I wanted to capture the more subtle colors of the desert. I did need to add a couple of new colors to my box so I am glad I am testing this week!

If you would like to see a step by step demo of this painting, visit my daily painting blog HERE

‘Dancing into the Sunset’                11×14      pastel         ©Karen Margulis

Robert Henri’s The Art Spirit is a book that every artist and art lover should have this book on the shelf. It is a book filled with the wisdom and advice of Henri who was a revered teacher and artist. The book is a collection of his teachings, notes and critiques. Read more about Robert Henri here http://roberthenrimuseum.org/
Not only does the book give Henri’s technical advice to painters, it is full of inspiring words of wisdom about life and art. It is the kind of book that can be picked up and opened to any page. Every page has a pearl of wisdom and gives food for thought. It is a book that can be read over and over. I keep my copy on my night stand and pick it up whenever I need a bit of inspiration. The quote about singing a picture is typical of the little gems on every page of the book.

‘Azalea Path’             11×14              pastel           ©Karen Margulis

Every Spring I am faced with the same challenge…. How to capture the beauty of the Spring landscape successfully in my paintings. On my daily painting blog I discussed the challenges we have in trying to paint the Spring landscape. Read more here.  Today I’d like to share some things that have helped me meet the challenge.

1. Do some advance planning. Do thumbnails to help you SIMPLIFY the busy Spring landscape.
2. Decide on a FOCAL AREA and develop it while leaving other areas with less detail. This is especially important when trying to paint flowering trees and shrubs….simplify the background by using colors in the same value so that they are soft and out of focus.
3. Try to focus in on one area of the landscape rather than trying to fit in all of the excitement into one painting. Plan on doing several paintings instead.
4. Try to zero in on one bush, flower or branch for a more intimate view of Spring.

‘Mountain Memories’                8×10         pastel             ©Karen Margulis

Are you new to pastels or looking for a way to simplify your work? Why not try this simple method for starting a pastel painting. There are so many choices and options available to pastel artists these days…new papers and pastels open up great possibilities. It can be overwhelming. What paper to use? Underpaint or not? Sometimes it just feels good to go back to basics.  When I first started painting with pastels I was taught a very simple method for starting a pastel painting. If you’d like to read more about it and see my step by step demo please visit my daily painting blog here.