Plein Air Easton---Post 4 Quick Draw

Today was the quickdraw event. It was open to not just the Plein Air Easton competition artists, but anyone who registered and paid a ten dollar fee could participate. There was an area of a few blocks that we had to stay within. We could pick our spot and set up but we couldn't start painting until 10:00 am. We had exactly two hours to paint our piece and put it in a frame and have it turned in by 12:00 noon. Kirk Larsen was painting behind me and I assumed he was going for a slightly different view of the same subject. As soon as I finished, I walked back to take a look at his piece and to my surprise, he painted me painting. How cool was that? What a nice job he did in such a short time. The painting is at the bottom of this post. This was my first quickdraw event and I must say, it was a blast! Tons of people showed up to watch all the artists paint. At 12:00 we all lined up our easels, displaying our "just finished" works, on both sides of a street where patrons could view and purchase the paintings. There was an awesome turnout and I'm happy to say, I sold my piece before I could get it up on display!

Oh yeah, my friend Larry Moore won a much deserved first place for his painting of the farmers market during the quickdraw. Way to go Larry!

The opening show last night was a success. The tickets were sold out and I managed to sell five of the eight paintings I entered. I've got a few more pieces that I still have to finish up that I will be posting soon.

Plein Air Easton---Post 3

"Silver Heels"

I painted this little jewel at a marina in Oxford, Maryland. There were a lot of great subjects to choose from but I settled on this particular boat that caught my attention as it was sparkling in the sunshine as if to say “hey, choose me.” I liked the composition since it had some light distant areas contrasted with the darker foreground, thus giving it lots of depth. Despite its small size, I worked on this piece pretty much all day, with a short break for the rain. I got the colors down first since I knew they would change as the day progressed and then spent the remainder of my time refining the drawing and adding the finer details. By the way, the boat was named “Silver Heels.”

This is the second of my two competition paintings that I will be entering. Once again, it is a bad photo due to the glare of the wet paint. Oh well...........

Plein Air Easton---Post 2

"Marina in Oxford"

Finding this marina in Oxford was probably the highlight of my trip to Maryland. There are so many things I’d like to paint there. The two old structures, where they service some of the best looking boats in the world, are painted a deep red, a red often seen on barns, a red that creates a breathtaking backdrop for a harbor scene like this one. The boat that found its way in my painting is just one example of the many fine vessels that can be seen there.

This will be one of my two competition paintings. The photography is not the greatest since the piece is wet and giving off a glare in areas.

Plein Air Easton--Post 1

The next eleven days of posting on my blog are going to be a little different than my usual postings, which include pictures of a painting with a short blurb detailing my thoughts on the piece. Instead, I'm going to be chronicling my trip, along with my art, to "Plein Air Easton," the much talked about plein air event in Easton, Maryland. It is my goal to post my paintings, along with event happenings, each day. The paintings will be for sale at the collector's party at the end of the event. Above, are my tools of the trade. My trusty leather bag that holds everything I need while I am out painting on location, which includes my pochade box,tripod, paints, panels, paper towels and misc. items like sunscreen and bug repellent. Pictured on the left is the stack of of panels I'm taking to paint on. I will be working strickly on 6" x 8" panels. While this is small by some artist's standards, I find it is a good size for me since I put a lot of detail in my paintings and would rather spend my time developing a painting to a higher degree rather than being concerned about covering a large canvas. But that's just "me" and how "I" paint. Pictured to the right is my pochade box and a wet panel carrier. As you can see, I try to travel light.

Getting ready to leave in my Roadtreck, which is a small motorhome and my home away from home when I'm on the road. In addition to the equipment I mentioned above, I've got all of my frames I will be using loaded in the van. Water, food, clothes, linens, gas, propane, hmmm, guess that's about it.

Should be leaving at about 5:00 am tomorrow morning.

"Boatyard on Church Street"

I painted this piece at a small boatyard at the end of Church Street in Millville, Florida, a little street in an even smaller town. I truly love getting off the beaten path and discovering what small coastal towns have to offer. This boatyard has a lot of old fishing boats up on blocks, receiving some much needed T.L.C. Each boat seemed to be saying “look at me,” like caged puppies in a pet store, wanting to be the chosen one. Since, like puppies, I couldn’t go home with them all, I decided on this old boat which seemed to be barking the loudest.

6" x 8" oil on linen. For purchase information, visit my site at www.martinfiglinski.com

"Sail Boats on Watson Bayou"

I painted this piece while standing at the water’s edge on Watson Bayou, which is located in the panhandle of Florida. I paint on this waterway frequently but never from this particular vantage point. That would soon change, as I found a composition with these two boats, one being white, the other a contrasting dark blue, resting calmly in front of an interesting background, complete with some natural landscape and a few structures. It was begging to be painted.

8" x 10" oil on linen. For purchase information, visit my site at www.martinfiglinski.com

"Serendipity"

This piece is a new favorite of mine for a number of reasons. I’ve been trying lately to make my subject take up less of the canvas, thus, including more elements in the composition, but without distracting from my focal point. I think I pulled it off well in this painting by making the surrounding boats softer and less detailed. The sail boat on the left is where I put all of the painting’s detail and the thicker passages of paint with a palette knife. This serves well in making the subject jump out from the supporting background elements. This piece was painted on location at St. Andrews Marina in the Panhandle of Florida and the name of the boat was “Serendipity.”

"Moored at Massalina"

Massalina Bayou, a small bayou in Panama City, Florida, is a great place to sit on your boat and read a book while enjoying the peace and quiet this little paradise has to offer. Or, if you’re an artist, like myself, it’s an even better place to set up and do a plein air painting, which is why I can be seen here so frequently. I’m always fascinated by old buildings and sailboats. This place has both.

6" x 8" oil on linen. For purchase information, vist my site at www.martinfiglinski.com

"Miss Em"

The full name of this beautiful boat is “Divine Miss ‘Em” and I have painted her before here in St. Andrews Marina, which is in the Panhandle of Florida. The last time I painted her it was on a cold winter day but this time it is mid June and plenty warm, which is why I’m under a gazebo, in the shade. I was lured in by the recent addition of a striped awning that was draped over the top of the boat to help shade the bright sun. It created an interesting pattern and a nice repetition to the red stripes of the American flag.

For Purchase information, visit my site at www.martinfiglinski.com