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Planning, Patience, and Perseverance

In comparison to plein air painting, in which works are completed in a rush of excitement during a couple of hours outdoors, studio painting can become a long, drawn out process. The challenge of keeping a large painting fresh can be daunting, and the main idea for the painting often morphs into something completely off-track during repeated sessions at the easel. But studio painting rewards me with exploring an idea in depth, allowing for the luxury of time and a controlled environment that's missing from plein air painting. I've found that staying excited and in focus for these paintings requires 3 things: planning, patience, and perseverance.

Planning: If I'm going to tackle a subject in a large format, my first several days of work take place not on the canvas but at the drafting table. It's essential to work out the design and practice drawing the subject matter to develop a familiarity with the subject and an ease with whatever drafting challenges the idea presents. For example, if I'm about to do a large painting of chickens, I will fill several sheets of newsprint with drawings of dozens of different hens in different positions and varying light conditions. I may only use 3 or 4 of those poses for the final painting, but I have honed my knowledge of the birds' anatomy which translates into more accurate and convincing painting. Below are a couple examples of the dozens of hen and rooster studies I sketched for my painting, "Casanova."

Chicken studies, pencil on newsprint

"Casanova" oil on linen 24x30

Working out the design (composition) on paper beforehand will save hours of tedious corrections once you're working on your large canvas. Don't just settle for the first composition that comes to mind---make sure to explore alternate designs and think up at least 3 thumbnails for each idea. I can't tell you how often my first design has ended up in the trash can after I've taken the time to come up with other (and often more exciting) compositions. Additionally, make notes about the painting: why you're painting it, what the main focal path will be, what you wish to emphasize and what you've chosen to leave out, which color harmonies you're interested in exploring. Gather up all your plein air studies that pertain to this piece - sometimes the studies I use are not of the same subject matter, but have a color scheme or design idea that I want to incorporate into this work. In the photo below, you can see that I'm painting cows in snow and willows in the studio piece, but have plein air studies of high country snow scenes on my easel to remind me of the color harmonies that I wanted to use in this painting.

Patience: Rome wasn't built in a day and your 48x60 won't be done that quickly either. I've found that I'm most successful with my larger paintings when I work on them for several sessions spaced a few weeks apart. If I try to work on a painting for consecutive days, two things happen: one, the paint is at varying degrees of dryness and is difficult to paint over; and two, I get to the point where I just can't judge the painting any longer because I've gotten so used to seeing it. Putting a painting away for a while will enable you to view your work with fresh eyes. Mistakes that you didn't even notice will become obvious when you bring the work back to your easel. It is essential for me to get the painting completely out of sight, tucked away in the dark of the basement, so that I'm not tempted to pick at it and make adjustments before I've really had a chance to clear my mind and view it objectively.

Perseverance: Paintings like "Autumn Amber" (below) can take up to a year for me to complete, with sometimes over 20 sessions at the easel before I feel like I've reached my original goal with the painting. Be sure to refer back to your original thumbnail sketch and notes often during this process to stay on track with your intent for this painting. Sometimes I will simply run out of steam on a big painting and feel like I just can't finish it. At that point, I really need to take a break, put the painting away and clear my head. If possible, I will go out on location to the spot where I painted the initial studies for the piece to re-ignite my excitement about the subject. A new plein air study is often all it takes to get me fired up and back to the easel with enthusiasm.

"Autumn Amber" oil on linen 60x40"

Plein air studies that I used for reference. l to r, "Gilded" 8x8", "Autumn's End' 12x16", "Birch Glade" 10x8"

Studio painting is a very different beast from plein air work. With planning, patience, and perseverance, complex and rewarding works develop. Take out that big canvas that you've been saving and give it a shot!