Tuesday’s Treasure Chest

twinkling H2O’s and plein air……Tuesday’s Treasure Chest

twinkling H2O’s

I’m always on the lookout for the newest hip art products, and these shimmering watercolors are awesome!  They work like watercolors and go on smoothly and when dry are lustrous and shimmery. I love them! They will be available at Hobby Lobby soon.

twinkling H2O’s make beautiful bookmarks…………..

…..so what is plein air?

En plein air means to paint in the open air.  Once a month I travel to Jacksonville where I meet with a wonderful group of artists called OOPS, Onslow Outdoor Painting Society. They have welcomed me with open arms and we paint different venues each month in Onslow County.  I would love to start a group in my own county, maybe one day?  I have compiled a list of items one might need before going in the field.

What you will need for plein air painting:

1. Tubes of oil, watercolor or acrylic paint—ideally a limited palette………..you can also sketch or use pastel

2. Several brushes

3. A portable, sturdy easel and tripod

4. Stretched canvases (or other kinds of support) to paint on

5. Wide hat, sunscreen, and bug repellant

6. Lots of water, both to drink and to clean your brushes (if applicable)

7. Turpentine or solvents (if applicable)

8. Lots of paper towels or rags

9. Trash bags to clean up after yourself

This winter I challenged myself to paint our pier at the end of our street, my first time painting in the bitter cold. I painted the same scene two different ways, one where I used local color and the second where I infused my own colorful interpretation.