Plein Air Cottonwoods

Afternoon Cottonwoods - 8" x 6" Oil on masonite

By Greg Newbold

Yesterday I pulled out a couple of the paintings I did on my California painting trip from last fall and spent a couple of hours working them up to finish. I was not satisfied with how either of them were looking and the paint had turned pretty dull during the drying process. I was pleased and surprised how much the paint came alive again when I brushed some medium back over the top of the entire painting to "butter" up the surface. I don't like to paint back into a picture when the surface is dry, so a bit of medium helps the paint to slip a little. One area that did not revive very well was the sky. The color was too dull and rather gray, so I repainted the entire sky pumping the blue a bit and using cleaner mixtures of color. I rather like how this little picture looks currently. Now to find a buyer...

Plein Air Painting previously on Life Needs Art:
California Plein Air Trip 2
California Plein Air Trip 3
To the Desert Again