Outdoor Painting Completed In Forest

I spent a lot of time painting outside during the 90’s. The kids were growing up and the studio was not a place I could hole up in for hours on end. Happy home, happy artist, meals on time, mortgage paid, food in the fridge, and a host of other obligations to be met…ah the life of an artist. My excursions to the river and forest proved very productive especially in the early morning when most were still asleep. The outdoor paintings of this period were very responsive and natural. I would bring the same picture to a spot at the same time of day for 3 days in succession and finish everything in  natural light. At the end of the 90’s I still had about 10 paintings not sold and it was then that I decided to start ‘collecting’ my own art. You can imagine that even 100 days painting outside in a year would produce at least 30 paintings, if each took 3 days to complete. I have continued to collect my own work and ‘hold back’ pieces that could be worked up in the studio to a higher level of ‘polish’ or left as is for future sales. I do not have a barn full of paintings as ‘culling’ is an integral part of an artist’s duty. Quality over quantity is still very very relevant to an artist’s production.