Where in the World is Plein Air – Day 1

"Low Tide" 9x12 oil/panel

View the videos and buy the painting here:
  http://www.whereintheworldispleinair.com/2015-artist/michael-chesley-johnson/

(If it's not online yet, it will be soon, so keep checking back!)

Above is my finished piece for the first day of the "Where in the World is Plein Air?" outdoor painting event.  I set up in the Roosevelt-Campobello International Park in one of my favorite secret spots.  The tide was out, giving me a great view of the rock outcrop and the head jutting out in the distance.

If you haven't heard of this event yet, here you go:  It's a hundred artists painting for the next three days wherever they happen to be in the world.  Each day, the artists will post three videos – beginning, middle and end – of that day's painting efforts, plus a photo of the finished painting.  The paintings will be for sale that very same day and can be purchased immediately online.  The paintings, whether sold or unsold, will then be shipped to the event's sponsor, Illume Gallery of Fine Art in St George, Utah, for an exhibit that will run for the month of July.  Following the event, purchased paintings will be shipped to their happy owners.

Having to man the camera at key points during the painting process is interesting.  Although I'm no stranger to being on video, taking a "selfie" with the camera while at the same time remembering to say who I am, what the event is and also to mention all the other key points definitely required a few takes!  Even so, I found the process very enjoyable and am quite happy with the painting.

As one of the artists, I'm eager to see what everyone else comes up with.  Some of the other professional artists participating in this event include Lorenzo Chavez, Linda Glover Gooch, Marc Hanson, Lori Putnam, David Santillanes, Aaron Schuerr, Kim Lordier, Kathryn Stats, Timothy Horn and Charlie Hunter.  Although I know personally several of the painters, I've not seen most of them perform "live" before, so it'll be fun to see their videos.

Tomorrow I'll be off to another secret location.  In the meantime, here are a few photos from today.