My First Plein air Painting

My friend, Elsie Busby and I decided to try to paint on location by Lake Plourde in LA.  It took me 2 hours to get started! I used my oil paints and a 16 x 20 inch canvas board. We didn’t like the mosquitoes, the humidity and the mud, and a threat of maybe some rain. No fun!  But we were determined we would persevere no matter what. All I got done was the bottom third of the canvas and cut the rest of the canvas off because that bottom of the painting made a pretty good composition of the cypress trees and cypress knees. The water wasn’t even blue! It looked like the color of mushroom soup. As a native Californian there was alot for me to get used to. I was so frustrated and unsure about how to get everything set up, but ended up proud of what I finally accomplished that day.  I don’t remember who bought this painting, but at least I have this photo of it. I laugh because that painting took me two hours to get started, and I probably only painted for an hour or so, and now adays I can get a nice size painting done on location (plein air) with in two hours time!  I love to mentor on how to get started painting out doors.  I probably wouldn’t been so frustrated my first time had someone been mentoring me.