Week of painting with friends

Every year I head up to Maine for at least a week of painting. Every part of Maine is so unique in its rock formations, colors and populations. I love early spring and fall for the best light. What a beautiful fall. Always so full of surprises. There were days were the fog was thick and then the next not a cloud in the sky. I love the moodiness of the weather. It makes you paint fast and just go for the feeling. I will put up a few paintings I did up there soon. Every year I discover something new. I love a challenge. This year I realized how important it is to pay attention to what is going to change first and get that idea onto the canvas. This is unlike being in the studio where you want to paint everything to create the balance. Doing one of two components first can create an imbalance but that can be interesting in itself. There is also no time to over think and calculate each painterly move. I let intuition in and go with my gut and let things happen. Plein air is so extraordinarily different than all forms of painting because you are letting those accidents happen continually. Can't help this because if you wait too long the subject will be so different you might as well start another canvas. Breath, respond and let it happen. So with this there is success and failure. Both are pretty exciting. The place I stay at has so much subject matter. I could paint there for a month easy. But I wanted to experience other locations. We went to Sandy Beach in Stonington, where the rocks are purplely white and ocre and there are wonderful islands with such personality to paint. My only regret is never enough time.....