"Near Palatki" 9x12, oil - SOLD
I got a few of Judson's Art Outfitters new plein air panels this week, and I thought I'd take one out for a test drive. They are acrylic gesso on hardboard, and the gesso has a nice, eggshell finish that takes the paint well. It has just the right amount of absorbency for plein air painting alla prima style. When you lay down that first stroke, it stays there, and you can easily lay down more over it. The price is right, too, a little over $4 for a 9x12 board.
For the test drive, I went out painting with my friend Christine Debrosky. She drove, and I was happy to let her, since our destination was some distance out on a rather washboarded gravel forest road. We headed toward the Palatki ruins, where you can get some really nice closeups of the red rocks nearby. A storm was moving in - they were predicting an inch or less for Sedona but several for Flagstaff - so the clouds were building. We managed to get in one painting each before the sun disappeared.
My painting is at the top of this post. I really went for intuitive color and rapid brush strokes. I've been reading the new biography of Van Gogh by Naifeh and Smith, so perhaps Vincent's approach is affecting mine.
