Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Painting the Parks & Gardens

It's called painting en plein air.   For years most of us artists called it "painting outdoors."  Which ever term you run into it pretty much means the same thing.  You paint what you see outside. I have avoided it for any years because of the wacky weather in Florida -- usually brutally hot and humid, with cold, windy, pollen-filled winters.  But I decided to brave the elements and armed with allergy pills, nasal spray, bug spray (oh yes the no-seeims love me) tissues, and SFP 60 sunscreen I am bravely going where I have not gone before -- outside to paint in our local parks and gardens.

A recent session at the beautiful Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens in Winter Park was a perfect setting to create a lovely painting.

"Mermaid/Mermaid Mama Albin Polasek Aluminum Sculpture"
Plein Air watercolor on paper
Krys Pettit


Hot and humid is where we are already in Central Florida and I find my paper and paint dry out a lot faster than I would like.  This session didn't work out like I planned. Working outside is almost like learning about the craft of watercolor all over again after 20 plus years in the studio.

 I have company when I work outside -- although I think these little guys were interested in learning to swim more than watching me paint.
"Lake Lily Park - Maitland Florida'
Plein air watercolor on paper
Krys Pettit
We are fortunate to have the beautiful Leu Gardens complex in Orlando.  But sometimes the big gardens can be overwhelming. This serene tree and landscape were just perfect for me to tackle while working at Leu Gardens earlier this week.

I'll take a table and chair anywhere I can get it!
"Serene Oak and Palms"
Leu Gardens, Orlando Florida
Plein air watercolor
Krys Pettit


I find there is a tremendous amount of green in this area and it can be a challenge to capture it all  -- I miss the landscapes that I saw in Arizona and New Mexico.  But I have a few places on the Central Florida area I will be visiting in the coming weeks with interesting buildings that I look forward to painting.

Follow me on Facebook to see where I will be painting next in the Central Florida area -- and beyond!  Liking and sharing is always appreciated.
Krys Pettit - Painting Moments of Color and Light

You can always check out some of my larger studio pieces at my website:
KRYS PETTIT - ARTIST

No comments:

Post a Comment