Plein Air and Enthusiasm

I'm a plein air painter.  But when the weather is windy and cold, rainy and cold, foggy and cold, or sunny, windy and cold,  painting outdoors becomes nearly impossible.  Since I'm a nearly compulsive painter, I drag out the photos and sketch books in a quest for a subject.  But somehow I always feel the enthusiasm factor wane, and that usually gets transferred to my hand.

Here I am in Florida, and I have found myself painting New England from photos because of the weather.
The longer this goes on, the tighter my style becomes.  Thus, this painting from a photo I took in Vermont two years ago.  If you scroll through my other paintings, you'll see that the color is subdued, the brushstrokes are more careful, and the long, vista shot has taken over again. 

I long for warmer weather to be able to see, hear, smell, and feel the subjects I choose to paint.  That is about to happen.  Thursday I leave for Bradenton and then Naples.  I need a shot of summer color, the smell of flowers, the contrast of sun and shadow, and the feel of sun on my skin.  I'm pretty sure you'll see the difference.