Welcome to the

Keiper Studio Art Spot

by Tamara Keiper 

Hello world ....  I just came back from the 2013 Plein Air Convention in Monterey and it was fantastic! I did a quick sketch with this scene as my reference.  I liked the big trees on the left so I brought them into the picture.  The watercolor posted much paler than the original and is incomplete, but as this is my first blog and I wanted to put something in and give this blogging a whirl.  As I look at my painting and it's reference I see that the bottom edge is too flat and need to bring in a few more rocks going from the lower left up towards the leaning rocks in the water.  Maybe I'll finish my painting before posting it next time.  Or just repost this one later.  It'll inspire me to finish it.

When I paint plein air, I usually complete it on the spot and rarely go back in to it.  I do this because once I leave the location the light and air have changed so much that the original image I saw is no longer there.  Also, when viewed in a photo, the values are too heightened and the middle tones are usually too dark. If I touch it up at home, then it virtually becomes a new and different painting. I may add a few strokes for interest or contrast, but that is usually it.

Since I am just a 2hr drive away from the coast, I decided to spend my time going around and looking at the work and styles of the other artists that came to the convention.  This was a real treat and something that one can not normally do on any given day.  There were approximately 600 other artists painting up and down the Monterey coastline.  To see the varying styles and compositions and approaches was invaluable!  I'll post more as I get a chance.