Framed Oil painting

11 x 14 (image size) Oil on board

Night at The Vendue ~ Plein Air Style!

I’ve been wanting to paint this nighttime scene of The Vendue Hotel for awhile. I took the image one night when things had opened back up after Covid. It was so good to see the town of Charleston alive again. Mary Martin Gallery asked me if I could come and paint at the gallery this past Saturday. The gallery was hosting an all day paint-in for children of all ages and the thought was that gallery artists like myself might help to inspire the young budding artists.

I didn’t have any painting underway that I could bring down for the event, so I decided a small Charleston scene might interest the kids. Maybe a nighttime scene would be cool. Maybe The Vendue!

I started the painting in my studio so that it was far enough along to tell what it was going to be. I packed up my paints and brushes in my French easel, bought a backpack for my turpentine, paper towel, and other art supplies and set off Saturday morning to paint for the kids.

I bought my French easel years ago thinking it would be fun to paint on location (outside). Turns out for over 30 years I have been a studio painter, preferring to work at home with controlled lighting and with all my supplies at my fingertips.

The opportunity to use my French easel as if I were painting plein air, however, intrigued me. Would I enjoy it? Would I be productive? How would I feel painting in front of people?

That morning I set up my easel low to the ground so that the kids could easily see what I was working on. I sat on a stool and began painting. It was as if I were outside on the streets of Charleston painting plein air. So I decided to paint plein air style with bolder brushwork and focused more on lighting than on detail.

Night at The Vendue is the result of that Saturday’s painting session. I’ve always liked adding touches of Impressionism to my paintings, so pushing even more toward Impressionism was enjoyable. It was fun to have grownups and children stop by and observe what I was painting.

The event at the gallery was a big success. Children of all ages were walking around proudly carrying their canvases and showing them off. Hopefully they left full of inspiration having been introduced to the wonderful world of art.

I left encouraged about giving plein air a try. Painting outdoors has other challenges, like ever changing lighting conditions, the hot weather in Charleston, bugs, wind, and rain. But, maybe it’s time for me to mix it up a little and create more impressions of Charleston.