The Eyes Have It
Anyone who paints en plein air will attest that there is no substitute for painting from life. Cameras are tools, not creators nor visionaries. I experienced a reality check on the limitations of using my camera.
The weather has changed – no more parkas, gloves and snow boots. The ice is out of the rivers and the buds are swelling on the birch trees. We have a full day to paint so we head off in a new direction. I want to visit Smithtown, about 20 km away. It is a rural community and is host to a lovely meandering river and covered bridge as well as fields and barns. Surely we can find something to paint without driving as long as we did last week.
And we did find a perfect spot: a field, that meandering stream/river and distant hills as a backdrop. And of course, the essential space to pull off the road safely and set up.
Helen Shideler and I painted for a few hours and satisfied with our results, stood back and took a video. It was when I reviewed the images later that I could see just what limited value the camera shot provided as a reference. As I was painting, I could clearly see the foreground of field and stream, the middle ground of the nearby trees and the background of the distant hillside.
My eyes were able to zoom in and see what I chose to include. If I had painted from that photo in my studio, the elements would have been condensed – squished and flattened beyond any appeal.
I understand now that using photos held me back from achieving more dimension in my paintings. I am grateful that for the past few years I have challenged myself to paint weekly en plein air. Mind you, painting in snow pants and heavy layers in freezing weather made it awkward to pick up dropped brushes, but it has been worth it.
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