How I Paint Fast Changing Light Effects

There's this old farmhouse in my town that has long been abandoned and new development is encroaching upon it.  There are many paintings I want to make from this subject but of particular interest is how, at sunset, the pine tree next to the house casts cool purple shadows on the warm red brick.  The problem is that this light only lasts 30 minutes at most and a camera isn't able to capture the colors.   I could do some color studies in the field and paint the finished piece in the studio....but I wanted to paint the entire picture en plein air.

So, how do I capture a fleeting light effect en plein air? 

Pre-work: I went to the location several months ago and did a series of sketches in my sketchbook to work out possible compositions.  At home I decided which one I liked best and further developed the value structure in pencil.  With the composition decided upon I waited for a night with clear skies and potential for a nice sunset then went out and set up to paint.

Painting:  I arrived an hour before the light I was looking for so I had time to set up and do a detailed drawing on my painting surface of the composition I had worked out.  Next, I mixed some piles of local colors to correspond with the major elements (sky, tree, house in light, house in shade, foreground grasses).  The colors would still need some modification to match the effect of the sunset lighting but the relative values of the piles were accurate to my vision of how I wanted the painting to look and this is most important.  These pre-mixed piles help me to paint faster because my starting point is almost already a match.  It's important to adjust color without significantly changing the value of a pile...otherwise you risk messing up the underlying value structure of the painting.
As soon as the sunset light was right and the cast shadows from the pine tree were in place I started painting.  I adjusted colors and painted patches in the sky and building...focusing on the relationship of sun and shadows on the building.  I didn't try to finish, just get the major shapes in and color relationships correct.

Wrap-up:  Soon, the sun was behind the mountains and the scene had changed from my concept.  However, the sky remained light enough for another hour to keep painting.  At this stage I focused mostly on the painting and completing the colors and patterns I had put down during sunset.  I only refer back to the actual subject for information on details like windows and trim.  As it became dark, I set up my book light which allowed me to finish the painting.  My book light provides a nice white light that doesn't add a color cast to the colors.  This little light enabled me to stay the extra 30 minutes and complete the painting.

I'd love to hear from you so leave a comment!

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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

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

Brrrr

A little 5"x7" painted along side my car as the sun went down on a freezing cold day.

Riverside Sketch

Yesterday while the kids and I were walking the dog I found this view along the river.  The grasses behind the tree were warm and bright; glowing against the cool violet grays framing them.  So, I went back today after work and painted this study to capture the colors and some compositional details which I can us for a larger painting.

Arapaho Bend

This is really a study of color and light.  I like the higher contrast in this one.  Painted on site.
6"x8" Oil on canvas mounted to panel

Moonrise

Moonrise by Scott Ruthven
8"x10" Oil on canvas board

Here's a plein air painting I did in the last 30 minutes of daylight.  It was only 9 degrees F but the light was so subtle and beautiful that I had to capture it.  The paint was so stiff I literally had to plow my size 10 flat in to paint and plaster it on.  This view is looking across a frozen lake at the moonrise.  Of course the photo wasn't able to depict the subtle color shifts.

Thanks for looking!

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

Autumn Harvest Plein Air Sketch

Autumn Harvest by Scott Ruthven
4"x5" Oil on hardboard

Fall is a beautiful time of year in Colorado when the sky is clear, the trees change colors and farmers harvest their crops.  This small study of Mt. Meeker and Longs Peak that I painted en plein air yesterday captures it all.  Artist Worthington Whittredge (of Hudson River School fame) painted some scenes close to this location in the late 1800's.

Afternoon In The Garden

Afternoon In The Garden by Scott Ruthven
10"x8" Oil on canvas panel

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This is another piece I painted at the Grant Humphreys mansion during the Denver Plein Air Arts Festival in 2012.

The Three Kings

The Three Kings of Grant Humphreys By Scott Ruthven
10"x20" Oil on canvas panel

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There is a famous mansion in Denver built in 1902 for James Grant, who had been the third Governor of Colorado.  Grant died in 1911 and his widow sold the neoclassical mansion to an oil baron, Albert Humphreys, in 1917.  The mansion now belongs to the Colorado Historic Society and it is also on the National Register of Historic Places.  Here's a link to the Wikipedia article.

The 2012 Denver Plein Air Festival held a paint-out at the mansion which I attended and painted another piece (I'll post about it another time).  On my way back to my truck I happened to turn and look up to the second story finding these three identical windows with their majestic lions.  I knew I had to paint them.  So, with the sun almost gone I started sketching one of the windows to get a feel for the complex ornamentation.  Needless to say, I had to make two more trips to the mansion to complete the painting.

 And, adding some water stains on the wall:

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

The Bee Keeper

The Bee Keeper by Scott Ruthven
5"x7" Oil on Canvas Panel
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Here's another piece in my small, plein air barns series.  The setting sun moved quickly tonight but I was able to mass in the darks and place a few warm lights in quickly so as to capture the effect.

Mini Backpacking Pochade Kit

Well summer is in full swing and it is beautiful hiking weather in Colorado.  My two sons and I have been on several hiking and backpacking trips into Rocky Mountain National Park this year already.  We combine our love of fly fishing, camping and of course painting!

Last weekend we hiked in 7 miles to camp at Thunder Lake.  This area of RMNP is very picturesque and our hike took us from dense forest to windswept tundra with rivers, streams, and lakes along the way.

With packs already full of gear, food and water, I had to scale down my painting kit.  So, I left my tripod, pochade box and panel support behind and assembled this mini kit from stuff I had laying around.

For the box, I used an inexpensive plastic bin with clasp locks for the lid.  It is just large enough to fit the four 37ml tubes of paint, a small cup for OMS, a pair of gloves, two small spring clips, plastic bag for hauling out trash, a couple of 5"x7" panels, a pencil, and small Moleskine pad for sketching.  I packed my brushes and paper towels separately.

As for paints, I limited my palette to Quick Dry White, Cad Red Light, Ultramarine Blue, Hansa Yellow Medium...all from Gamblin.  I also incorporated Gamblin's Galkyd medium to speed drying.

Once I found a spot to paint I simply removed the contents from the box, secured the panel to the box with the spring clips and squirted out some paint.  The clips worked surprisingly well to hold the panel and mixing the paint in the bottom of the box kept everything tidy.  When I was done, I simply wiped box clean with paper towels and put all the supplies back in.

As a side note, I sprung for the "Mighty Mite Jr. Brush Washer" small turps jar made by Guerrilla Painter.  It's a 1.25" high, plastic wide mouth jar with a welded metal insert for brush cleaning.  It doesn't look like much for 15 bucks but it was exactly what I needed for my mini kit and it worked great with no leaks...even at 11,000 feet above sea level.

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Here's the link to the video showing my original Pochade box: http://scottruthven.blogspot.com/2011/11/painting-en-plein-air-forces-quick.html

Here's the link to another post on building your own Pochade box: http://scottruthven.blogspot.com/2011/11/pochade-box-envy.html

Hope you are having a great summer!

Road To Bobcat Ridge

Road To Bobcat Ridge by Scott Ruthven
5"x7" Oil on panel

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I was painting this about five miles South of the large High Park Wildfire currently burning here in Northern Colorado.  The area was later evacuated but has been untouched by the flames so far.  The smokey haze made for a unique atmosphere.

Journey Upstream

Journey Upstream by Scott Ruthven
5"x7" Oil on linen panel

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I set up at a nice spot along the Cache La Poudre river on Saturday and painted this scene.  I hadn't planned on painting the geese into the picture but groups of them kept making their way upstream while I worked.  When painting outside, after 30 minutes or so, the wildlife forget you are there and start coming out and doing their thing.  I have had heron, which are generally very shy, sail in and perch in the water right next to me, oblivious that I was even there.

Foothills Sunset

"Foothills Sunset" by Scott Ruthven
5"x7" Oil on panel - Varnished

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These are the foothills west of Fort Collins, Colorado.  I painted this on site as the sun was going down.  I love the warm orange light striking the back of the hills and glowing on the trees and shrubs at the top edges contrasted against the cool blues and purples at the base of the foothills.