Thursday, May 20, 2010

Plein Air Painting in Killarney

Hi all, I wanted to share with you what I got up to last weekend. I decided to have a little painting "me" time so I booked in on a Plein Air Painting weekend with local artist Tina Reed. I painted with Tina last year and had loved it and the challenge of plein air painting with oils in Killarney was too good an opportunity to miss. Oils are still quite a new medium to me but I now adore them and find I am reaching to the oil tubes more frequently then the acrylic tubes these days but it depends on what I am working on.

The setting was the Lake Hotel in Killarney which has stunning views. As you can see the day started off quite dullish but we watched our paint palette get brighter and brighter over the weekend and the magnificent colour change on the mountains (Torc and Mangerton were our main focal points) and the lakes. We had it all, swans, boats and also some very interested patrons from the hotel having a gander at our work. 

I shared the weekend with 6 ladies and Tina our teacher. Everybody was at different levels in painting from people painting for the very first time to some very talented experienced painters. 

We painted mostly with palette knives but as a brush lover I did sneak in the did brush stroke throughout the weekend. 
One of the bonuses of oils (which I used to consider a negative in my impatience) is the slow drying time which allowed me to work on the painting in more detail when I got home. The composition in its vastness was quite challenging but very interesting. I haven't quite completed a masterpiece yet in oils but slowly but surely I am learning more and more with each project. 

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If you fancy a weekend with a difference I would highly recommend Tina's courses. And for those of you looking for regular oil painting classes we are honoured to have Tina teaching Tuesday evenings in our own workshop room whilst she builds a new studio in the stunning Clydagh Valley.

Thanks Tina and to to the lovely ladies I met over the weekend. I hope to see you back on a course very soon.

Cathy

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