Finding the Balance

by Kathleen on 4/5/2008 12:24:40 PM2 Comments

*click on "Archives" at left to see March '08 blog postings

Whenever I spend too much time in the studio, my paintings start to get too tight; but whenever I spend too much time plein air painting, I get frustrated with not being able to develop more complex designs in the couple of hours I have before the light changes. So I'm always striving to find the balance between the two. For the past few weeks, I've been in the studio in the mornings, working on some large aspen paintings. And then I feel like a kid let out for recess when I get to go plein air painting in the afternoon! Here's a photo of my studio this week - a 40x30 work in progress is on the easel, and a finished 36x48 is off to the left. One of my field studies from last fall is on the small easel on the left- I use that for color reference for the larger paintings.

2 Responses to Finding the Balance

	Nicole Hyde via web	46 months ago
	Kathleen, what a beautiful studio and gorgeous Aspen paintings! Your post resonates with me because I'm often aware of the various ways in which an artlife requires a balancing act of some sort. Some days I like a Cirque du Soleil acrobat! LOL Your schedule of painting in the studio in the mornings and going outside to play sounds a great way to keep both disciplines healthy and growing. Thanks for a great post.

	Jeanean Songco Martin via web	35 months ago
	Hello Kathleen, You are a painter's painter. I connected with your work immediately. This month's featured painting is gorgeous. I sensed before I knew, that you worked outside. You have the look and feel of the out-of doors. I agree, it is always challenging to keep the freshness and immediacy of the plein-air work in more formal larger pieces. I am faced with the same dilemma that you speak about. I live and work in MD/VA/WV but will be in New Mexico for the next 3 months working then teaching a plein-air workshop in September. I love the challenge of the desert terrain and brilliant light so different from the East Coast. I hope to have many plein-air paintings to develop into larger pieces. Will send you a post at a later date. Do you know the artist Arturo Chavez? He is quite accomplished and does a small field painting, a larger field painting/studio and then enlarges to a monumental size completely in the studio Interesting working method. Jeanean Songco Martin

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