8 x 10
Oil on Linen Board
Plein Air
SOLD
Today was a milestone in my art journey as this was my first Plein Air snow painting from start to finish. The opportunity to do such in Eastern North Carolina rarely presents itself, so after a full day with kids, I grabbed my backpack and headed down the Cooper Hill Road just outside of Windsor to find something or somewhere to paint in the afternoon snow. I found Coke White's old farm truck snowed in a cow pasture just down the dirt path from this poultry houses.
I've often marveled at some of the great artists who paint up North and are at home with Winter snow scenes. One of my favorite is New England's Aldro T. Hibbard - an Ernest Hemingway of sorts with a paint brush who became famous in the early 20th Century for his snow paintings that were done on site - in Plein Air. He would often hitch rides with loggers to their work area and then hike alone into isolated and remote locations to paint. Using a limited palette, he would come out of the wild with a very harmonious painting.
Today's highs were in the low thirties, and I wasn't in the most remote location - nor did I hike there. My tailgate of my pickup served as my brush and paper towel holder, and Coke often drove by to shake his head at me and remind me how crazy I was to be painting out in the cold. I would agree with him and thank him for letting me set up on his farm, but all the while I was just thrilled at how much fun it was to set up in such frigid conditions and actually crank one out.
