New Ultimate Plein Air Gear Video

My students always tell me how much they love the part of my workshops when I go through my plein air gear.  With so many gear options to choose from, it can be daunting to take the leap and try plein air painting.

So, after months of filming and editing, I have released a full-featured, 38 minute long video where I show you everything I take in my pack to paint on location in oils.

Now everyone has access to this part of my workshops without the cost of actually attending a workshop.  And...I'm making the video very inexpensive so anyone can afford it!  After all, my goal is to create more joy in our world by creating beautiful art and teaching others how to do the same.  With the information in this video, you'll have the courage and confidence to experience the joy of plein air painting.

"From backpacks to brushes, paints to pochade boxes, and everything in between!"

Click the link below to learn all about the video and to purchase it if you so choose.

Click here for more info --->  Scott's Ultimate Plein Air Gear Video

Stanley Hotel

Stanley Hotel

Stanley Hotel (Study)
11"X14" Oil on Linen Panel

The Stanley Hotel is in Estes Park, Colorado.  Built by F.O. Stanley (of Stanley Steamer fame) in 1909 to be one of the grandest hotels in the world.  It was originally painted yellow but I personally love the sharp, clean white and red combination.  Some of you may also know it was the inspiration for Stephen King's "The Shining" and parts of "Dumb and Dumber" were also filmed there.

I started this painting on location so as to really capture the early morning light.  I finished up the indication of windows and other details back in my studio.  I would like to make a much larger studio painting from this piece.

Click here to see it on my website.

Sunshine At Rainbow Lakes

"Sunshine at Rainbow Lakes"
6"x10" Oil on Linen mounted to Gatorboard

I painted this on location in the Colorado Rockies, Northwest from Boulder, Colorado.  It is oil paint on linen which is mounted to archival gator board.  All materials are of the highest quality and it has a protective varnish applied.  I have signed the front and back.  The painting measures 6"x10" and is mounted to a 10.5"x14.5" piece of black Gatorboard.  You can frame it or display it as is.

$99 Ebay Auction:
Sold, but you can see what's currently up for auction by clicking --> HERE <--

Paint'n Cows

Lunchtime | 6"x8" | Oil on mounted linen

There's something so therapeutic about painting cows grazing in a pasture.  I painted this group as they meandered around a lush, tree-lined field.  At times they would come up to the fence right next to me and check me out.  Of course I would talk to them...like I talk to any animal that comes up to see what I'm doing.  The time spent in nature observing these creatures makes me so thrilled to be an artist.

Thanks for your Facebook "likes" too!

A Light Amid the Forest

A Light Amid the Forest
8"x6" Oil on linen panel

Sometimes you just have to look up for inspiration.  I was walking along a stream in the foothills West of Boulder Colorado looking for something to paint when I looked up to see this one branch of an Aspen tree glowing with light.  Against the cool, dark forest interior, the leaves themselves seemed to be the source of the light.  I set up my gear as fast as possible and went to work to capture the fleeting effect.

Winter Silhouette

Winter Silhouette
9"x12" Oil on linen panel  

  This painting is all about the flowing lines of the tree and it's shadow along with the contrast of warm and cool colors.

Thanks for looking.

San Pellegrinos & Lime

San Pellegrinos & Lime
10"x8" | Oil

I was invited to paint atop an exclusive rooftop garden at the Museum Residences in downtown Denver.  I, along with a few other artists, enjoyed a catered lunch up there and then painted at our leisure for the afternoon.  I painted the above view of the radiant umbrellas and bold diagonals in the architecture and landscaping.  This property is adjacent to the Denver Art Museum which is an architectural marvel who's style elements are echoed in the Museum Residences property. 

 

The Denver Art Museum Photo by Daniel Libeskind via Arch2o.com

That evening, residents and some guests who are well connected in the Denver art world were invited up to watch us paint a quick-draw piece and enjoy great food and wine.  Our completed quick-draw paintings were then auctioned off.

My quick-draw piece
11th Avenue Hotel | 10"x8" | Oil
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I entered "San Pellegrinos & Lime" in the Colorado Plein Air Festival competition and it was awarded 2nd place in the professional artists category!

San Pellegrinos & Lime
Colorado Plein Air Arts Fest 2nd place winner 2013

Mt. Audubon - Indian Peaks Wilderness Colorado

Mt. Audubon
12"x12" Oil

This scene I painted looking at Mt. Audubon from Brainard Lake in the Indian Peaks Wilderness of Colorado.  As usual this time of year, the day started with beautiful blue skies and brilliant light.  By late afternoon the clouds had formed and the scene had totally changed.  This is a wonderful area to hike.

Thanks for looking!

The Historic Ryssby Church in Longmont, Colorado

Ryssby Church
8"x10" Oil
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I found this wonderful old church outside of Longmont Colorado a couple of weeks ago.  It happened to be late afternoon and the colors were wonderful so I pulled over, set up my painting gear and painted like mad until dark.  The beautiful roses and other flowers planted in the bed along the back wall drew me in; they were so vibrant against the aged stone wall.  I also like the sunset light reflecting on the side windows and the purple mountains.  What a beautiful and serene place.

This church was part of the first Swedish settlement in Colorado back in 1882 and was modeled after the settler's church in Ryssby, Sweden.

Here is a link to the church's web page: http://www.ryssbychurch.org/index.html

Three Tips For Painting Better Nocturnes

As I paint more nocturnes I'm learning more about what works.  Here are some key learnings I want to share with you.

1. Have a good light - I use a book light with two LED's and two stages of brightness.  The clip end houses the 2 AAA batteries.  Get a light with a balanced light color...not too blue or yellow.  New, high output bulbs produce a nice white light. 

2. Pre-tone your canvas a dark color.  I'm still experimenting with this but find that if I tone my canvas black or some dark mix of an earth tone and ultramarine blue and let that dry it is much easier to start the painting.  If you start with a white surface you have to lay down a lot of darks...which will muddy up your lights when you go to put them in.  Much of this struggle is eliminated if you begin with a dark, dry surface.

3. Slow down and enjoy the painting.  Take time to let your eyes acclimate to the darkness.  There is so much subtle variation and there is no hurry since the light sources are fixed (signs, street lights) and you don't have any moving shadows.  Basically, depending on the scene, you might have all night so take your time to really see the color and value relationships and work to get those right on your canvas the first time.  Having said this, I have been happily painting a scene when all of a sudden the main lit sign in my painting shut off for the night.  Oh well, that happens....just pack it up and try again another night.

I painted this scene of a railroad crossing out in the country.  It took me about 3 hours and I wrapped it up at about 1:30AM.  I parked off the side of the dirt road and painted from inside of the bed of my pickup.  One car passed me in three hours...otherwise there was no other light source and no people anywhere around.  It was so peaceful and relaxed.  I learned a lot by taking my time on this one.

"1AM at the Crossing" © Scott Ruthven

8"x10" |  Oil on linen panel

Four Paintings, Four Locations, in Fourteen Hours - PAAC Painting Marathon

Plein Air Artists Colorado held their first dawn to dusk painting marathon Saturday and I decided it would be a good "workout" for me.  We started at 5:30AM with a sunrise painting in Denver, Colorado.  Next we drove to the world-famous Red Rocks Amphitheater for a second painting.  After  lunch we drove further into the mountains for an afternoon painting then ended up in Evergreen, Colorado for our final evening painting and show.  It was great fun!  Here's my work for the day, in chronological order:

Denver at Dawn
6.5"x6.5" Oil on Linen

Glowing Light at Red Rocks
12"x12" Oil on panel

Spring Flower on the Forest Floor
6"x8" Oil on linen

Last Light on the 18th Hole
9"x12" Oil on wooden panel

The Artist's work on display

River Glass

"River Glass" by Scott Ruthven

12"x9" Oil on birch panel

SOLD

Painting on this warm tone of the exposed wood was a nice.  The birch panel was prepared with two coats of Shellac to seal it and prepare it to accept paint.

Some of the trees and tree reflections are actually the wood grain showing through.

Spring Break Snow Day

March brings wild weather to Colorado...sunny and 70 degrees one day and snowy and freezing the very next!  A major storm came through yesterday dropping 8-10" of fluffy power snow.

I've had my eye on this fantastic barn to paint for a few years now...only problem is that it stands in the middle of a golf course, making it impossible to paint on site.  So, with the snow storm closing the course I packed up my gear, hiked out onto the course and painted the barn in the middle of the snowstorm.

"Silent Snowfall"
9"x12"  Oil on linen mounted to panel
SOLD

As always, your "likes" and comments are greatly appreciated!!

Foothills West of Longmont

I painted this scene on site a couple of weekends ago.  These are the foothills of the Rocky Mountains looking West from Longmont Colorado.

Foothills West of Longmont
9"x12" | Oil on linen mounted to board

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Vibrating colors and juicy brushstrokes

The clear light in Colorado on a blue sky day produces exquisite colors in the fresh snow.  The violets and blues vibrate alongside the warm golden tones.  This piece looks great in a black frame.

"Winter Silhouette"  |  9"x12"  |  Oil on linen mounted to board

Painted on location February 2013

Blowing Snow - Hallett Peak and Flattop Mountain from Sprague Lake

Here is my effort from Saturday.  I drove up to Rocky Mountain National Park specifically to paint at Sprague Lake.  Up at Sprague, which is probably about 10,000 ft elevation, the temp was in the 20's and the wind blew at a steady 20-30MPH.  It's often windy in RMNP in the winter so no problem and as for the cold, once I begin to paint I become so engrossed in capturing my subject that I don't notice it.  To combat the wind I sat on a log so I could keep my tripod low to the ground (I usually stand while painting).  I also hung my weighted backpack from the tripod.  That still wasn't enough so I did the entire painting while holding my tripod down with my left hand.  The wind gusts were so forceful that I had to keep the lid on my mineral spirits can to ensure it didn't spill if the wind took it.

Painting in these tough conditions challenges me to see just what I can do.  The reward is potentially twofold: 1. I just might convey some of the feeling and imagery from the amazing show nature is putting on, and 2. I become more conditioned to focus on the key stuff and eliminate the unnecessary...both in my painting of the concept and subject matter and in the materials I bring and use.  If the painting is a disaster, I note what I learned so I can apply it next time and I take a deep breath and acknowledge the blessing of spending a few hours truly immersed in nature, seeing and experiencing what many never do.

Winter Marsh

Winter Marsh by Scott Ruthven
6"x8" Oil on linen

Colorado has bright, sunny days throughout winter.  Cold temps + bright sunshine make for lots of great scenes to paint.  The cold, dark water contrasting with the bright reeds attracted me to this scene.  I painted it on site.

Colorado State Capitol

Gold Is In Your Future by Scott Ruthven
7"x5" Oil on panel

I painted this on location during the 2012 Denver Plein Air Arts festival.  The painting is 7"x5" and is mounted to a 8"x6" black panel so it "floats" in this 8"x6" elegant gold leaf frame.

Click here to see some in-process photos I took while painting this.
http://scottruthven.blogspot.com/2012/09/colorado-state-capitol-plein-air.html

Colorado State Capitol - Plein Air

There's Gold In Your Future by Scott Ruthven
Colorado State Capitol 7"x5" Oil on Panel

I painted this picture of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver as the sun went down.  The sunlight reflecting off of the gold dome was so beautiful and warm which contrasted with the cool shadow areas beneath the trees and the constant stream of brake lights on Colfax Avenue.

Denver Plein Air Arts Fest

I've been painting in the 2012 Denver Plein Air Arts Fest over the past couple of weeks.  This is my first year and it has been pretty fun.  Artists are allowed to paint at select locations between August 10th and September 16th.   Works that are juried in to the show in November will be eligible for awards and will hang in the Vida Ellison Gallery at the Denver Central Library.  Here are a few pics from the various sites.

One paint-out was held at the world famous Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison Colorado.  I've been there at night for concerts but watching the sunrise over Denver is a spiritual experience.

Red Rocks Amphitheater at dawn

Ready to paint the sunrise at Red Rocks

One of my paintings of Red Rocks

I also decided to paint the State Capitol.  It wasn't my first choice since it is an obvious choice but I found a unique vantage point and captured the sunset glistening off the gold-covered dome.  I ended up painting by the lights from the Voorhies Memorial for an hour + after the sun set.  As it got dark, more and more homeless people started showing up.   One of them, named Bryon, said he loved my painting and though it looked photo-realistic.  Later, when discussing something else, he told me he had vision problems and could only see fuzzy shapes ;-)  That was a let down.  When I asked him if I should be worried about some of the troublesome looking folks starting to congregate he said not to worry as long as he was around he would protect me.  It was a nice gesture but he clearly didn't take into account I was armed with multiple paint brushes and cadmium pigments.

Painting the Denver State Capitol

Bryon - a friendly homeless guy who I chatted
with as I painted past dark. 

On another day we painted at the Grant-Humphreys mansion.  It's a beautiful old home and we had free reign of the grounds.  

I used the sight-size method for my drawing of the planter below.  The afternoon sun made the railings and planter glow against the dark foliage in the background.

Sight-sizing initial drawing / values
Grant-Humphreys Mansion

Planter at Grant-Humphreys Mansion

Painting at Grant-Humphreys Mansion in Denver

The mansion also has wonderful architectural details which I decided to paint a few days later.  The piece I'm working on below required some detailed drawing.  I need to go down one more time to finish the painting.  So far it looks good; I'll post pics of it later.

Drawing architectural details at Grant-Humphreys Mansion in Denver