autumn plein air

I spent the afternoon painting at the top of Beacon Hill, one of the highest points locally. It was a gorgeous autumn day with sunshine, passing clouds casting shadows over the hills, woods and fields and the light changing constantly. One minute the row of trees nearby were highlighted and vivid against a dark shadowed field, the next dark silhouettes against the light and then dark against dark and hard to make out at all.

I was out of white in my Griffin Alkyd oils that I like to take out with me so took my watercolours - I should have known better, I get on so much better with oils plein air. It's so much easier to respond to those changes in light where you think WOW and want to catch. I can do 2-3 oils in the time it takes to do one watercolour!

It was nice heavy, rag paper though so it didn't object to lifting out and changing but because it was cold it took ages to dry enough to work over areas :(

I still haven't totally warmed up inside - just on the surface. I was wrapped up in layers as well and painting in woolly gloves, which I don't normally do. I thought I'd better protect my fingers though as I have arthritis and the cold makes them hurt.

I'll probably add the painting tomorrow when I have time to scan it.

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