Posts tagged as:

landscape painting

Late Fall Marsh | plein air painting on the edge of a wetland and the edge of a season

Late FallMarsh, 8x10 December 15, 2009

When I was a little kid, and I’d get out my Crayolas to draw some trees, I kept things simple.   A straight, brown column for a trunk and a tuft of green for the leaves.  Maybe a cloud or a  rainbow was added to ensure that I had used every color in the box, [...]

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First Touches of Fall | Plein air painting at the Minnesota River Valley

October 22, 2009

One of the great aspects of living in Minnesota is the drama of all four seasons.   It seems like seasons happen all at once here. It’s suddenly spring, or it’s suddenly winter. But in reality, when you finally take a moment to stop and look around, change happens very gradually, over a period of time. We [...]

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Mississippi River Reflection | plein air painting on the colorful side of the river

Thumbnail image for Mississippi River Reflection | plein air painting on the colorful side of the river October 3, 2009

I have been doing a lot of painting set up on the banks of rivers in the last few months.  I have noticed in my own paintings that some days the colors reflected in the water are quite intense. More saturated.   Other days, the reflections are a bit more washed out.  Still beautiful. Still a [...]

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River Rocks | outdoor painting at the water’s edge.

River Rocks, plein air oil painting by Jeffrey Smith August 25, 2009

I know what you’re thinking, “Did he do a painting of a pile of rocks sticking out of the water?” And yes–yes, I did do a painting of a pile of rocks.  More specifically, a pile of rocks–maybe sandstone–in the St. Croix river.   If you  grab your atlas, or punch it in to Google Earth, [...]

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Mud Puddles | plein air painting after the rain

August 19, 2009

There is nothing better than a clear morning after a big rain storm.  I guess that’s not entirely true. I suppose there are better things, but a great morning is certainly right up there.

Last  Sunday I made my way back over to the Trial and Display Gardens on the grounds of the University of Minnesota.  [...]

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Hollyhocks and Corn Fields | plein air painting at the University of Minnesota

Hollyhocks and Crop Fields, 8x10 August 12, 2009

I got a call on Sunday morning from my mother asking if I was out plein air painting yet.  I was off to a late start, but I figured  she wasn’t at church either, so we were even.  Neither one of us was doing what we normally would do on a Sunday.  It turns out that [...]

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Cloudy Day on the Mississippi River | plein air painting on the river’s edge

Cloudy Day on the Mississippi River, 8x10, by Jeffrey Smith August 3, 2009

It was a great day for plein air painting in St. Paul… at least it ended up as a great day for plein air painting in St.Paul.
I made my way to the park this morning, and with view finder in hand, began looking for inspiration and the next subject to paint.  I set up my pochade box [...]

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Plein Air Plan | 5 tips for better outdoor painting

June 27, 2009

I just finished a fantastic plein air painting workshop sponsored by The Atelier here in Minneapolis. The workshop was taught by plein air artist, Brian Stewart.   Go ahead.   Click on over to his site and take a look at his work; I can wait.  Welcome back.
I made a conscious effort that I was going to [...]

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Trail Under the Pine Trees | gouache painting

Trail Under the Pine Trees, gouache on watercolor paper, by Jeffrey Smith June 19, 2009

Trail Under the Pine Trees
gouache on paper
$50.00
Click here to check out this painting and more from Jeffrey Smith Art on Etsy.
I got out the gouache paints the other day and did a little demo for my mother.  She has a dream of learning to use the paints that we gave her for Christmas.
She has worked [...]

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Dappled Sunlight | Sunday morning plein air painting

Thumbnail image for Dappled Sunlight | Sunday morning plein air painting May 31, 2009

Dappled Sunlight, 6×8″, oil on linen panel
$150.00
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Sunday is the best day of the week.  Things seem to move a bit slower… I spent my Sunday morning painting on the grounds of the St. Paul Seminary right along the Mississippi River. The weather has been perfect; not too warm,blue skies, and sunshine!  That [...]

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