Misty Day at Edenvale

A few of us got together to paint in Edenvale last Monday. The weather forecast had promised sunny weather, but instead we got overcast and misty conditions. However, the light was very consistent until it eventually started to get too wet to paint. I did two paintings of the little river that runs through the forest. There was some spectacular colour in the autumn foliage even in the dull conditions and I did my best to capture that.


A Quiet Spot, Edenvale
(14" x 11" Oil on Board)

Autumn Gold, Edenvale

(14" x 11" Oil on Board)

Here are my initial block-ins for both paintings:-

And a couple of photos of both scenes:-

St Mullins Paint-Out

We had a paint-out yesterday in the beautiful little Co Carlow village of St Mullins. The weather was disappointingly dull and drizzly, but still OK for oil painting. I resisted painting the obvious (boats along the banks of the River Barrow), opting instead for this little stream.

Overcast Morning, St Mullins, Co Carlow
(12" x 16" Oil on Panel)

This is a photo of the scene, which looks much brighter than it was IRL:-

Oldcourt Paint-Out

We had a very enjoyable paint-out yesterday to the home of one of our painting colleagues. The house, farm and stables made an ideal location and our host was also good enough to prepare lunch for us. It started off cloudy with drizzle but that cleared quickly and we had a lovely sunny afternoon.

For my first painting, I walked about a half mile to a little stream which bounds the farm. I set up on the track beside the stream and apart from the occasional horses and dogs, I had the place to myself. I love backlit scenes, especially this time of year when the lower sun makes them even more dramatic. The stream provided added interest here.

The Stream, Oldcourt, Wexford
(11" x 14" Oil on Board)

I didn't feel like walking too far after a hearty lunch, so I set up near the stables for my second painting. The late afternoon sun shining through the trees made some interesting light and shadow patterns on the wall and roof.

Towards the Stables, Oldcourt
(11" x 14" Oil on Board)

This was my initial block-in for the first painting. I was under time pressure for the second and forgot.

And here are a couple of photos of the scenes.

A Day in Edenvale

After some heavy rain earlier in the week, yesterday was a beautiful autumn day. Hoping for some seasonal colour, I headed to Edenvale forest about ten minutes drive from my home. The first scene is one I painted a couple of years ago, but this time the large puddle on the track added something extra. I also did it in landscape format this time instead of portrait as previously.

After the Rain, Edenvale
(11" x 14" Oil on Board)

This was my block-in:-

And here is a photo of the scene, taken before I started:-

I then decided to paint the adjacent stream, with the sunlight in the background.

Into the Light, Edenvale
(11" x 14" Oil on Board)

I forgot to take any intermediate photos of the painting, but here is a photo of the scene:-

Autumn Colour on a Dull Day

My local plein air group took advantage yesterday of the relatively settled autumn we've being getting. It was a mostly overcast but dry day with little or no wind. Our Lady's Island is a religious shrine, but relatively quiet outside of pilgrimage time. It is quite unusual in that it is a saltwater lake, but not tidal. As a result it tends to produce unusual grasses and reeds along its shoreline. During the summer, these are mostly varying shades of green, but have now turned to a stunning array of reds and oranges, once you look beyond the initial bland browns. I started my first painting in cloudy conditions but then the sun came out and looked liked staying out, so I scrubbed what I had done and started again - a mistake because what attracted me to the scene in the frst place was now gone. So that one went in the bin!

I worked a little more on the second one this morning in the studio. Just added a little more contrast to the sky and a bit of edge work here and there. Here is the finished painting:-

Autumn Colour, Our Lady's Island, Wexford
(11" x 14" Oil on Board)

Here is a photo of the scene (a bit under-exposed because of the low sun and water reflections):-