Summer Art 4

This was the first painting that I did on the trip. I used the medium of oil paint and tried to use loose, distinct brushstrokes. This still life was step up outside of the chateau in the natural light. There is balance in this painting because there is an apple on each side of the vase. Also, the painting is visually interesting because the red in of the apples compliments the green background.

Summer Art 3

This painting is of the door leading into the area in which the group ate breakfast. I painted this in the morning, and it was very shady outside. I had to add contrast between darks and lights in the ivy, as if natural light was shining on it. There are different values of green in the ivy. The smooth vertical lines on the door contrast with the organic shapes, creating texture. The style of this painting is impressionistic.

Summer Art 2

I painted this piece en plein air at the chateau during the afternoon. The light was very strong, creating many shadows. Also, there is contrast in this painting between the darks and lights on the chairs. The background is very simple, drawing the viewers eye to the chairs, the focal point. There are negative spaces in between the wood, arms, and legs of the chair, creating more visual interest. 

Summer Art 1

One day on the trip, we went into a nearby village to paint. I chose to paint a gate because the texture was interesting, and it looked very old and unique. I sat on the ground and painted, so my point of view was from the ground looking up at the gate. I painted this in the natural light during the late morning. There are negative spaces shown in the leaves on the wall, as well as organic shapes. I used the medium of oil paint. I painted with brushes and did details with a palate knife. This painting is a genre painting and has Impressionistic qualities. 

Summer Art

This summer, I traveled to France with a group from school to oil paint en plein air and experience and understand how the French Impressionist painters lived and worked. When the group arrived in France, we first went to Paris. There, we went to sites where the Impressionists painted, in addition to visiting art museums. After, we went to a chateau in the countryside. There, we painted outside twice a day every day for many hours.