I am so lucky to live where I do! KC Art Institute is a very desireable institution where artists want to be associated. I was asked to join a Plein Aire class in the nearby town of Riverside.
Not because I am a famous artist, which I am not, but because I live in a zip code that was selected to offer free courses. I took them up on it and my first class was this past Saturday,
We gathered to meet our instructor at the Riverside community center where he introduced us to plein aire painting with oils. We each received six different brushes, a painters knife, and the same assortment of oil paints. They gave us a paint palette cleaning fluid and linseed oil. Then we headed to the park with our bags, easels and packs to paint in the fresh air!
Our first outing was at a Renner Park in Riverside Missouri across from the Riverside police department. The park didn’t have many points of interest so you had to use your imagination. I selected a tree in particular that captured my attention which I didn’t even keep in the painting.
This was my first oil in many years. It wasn’t anything to brag about but it was good practice and good company.
The next outing a week later had me more excited to expand my painting skills and learn more from the instructor. I had a hard time with the oils, as I favor acrylics and watercolor. Oils are smelly and are hard to get off your hands and skin without using a cleaner. I was a mess. Actually there were only two women that day and three men. I couldn’t help but notice that she and I got more messy. The men seemed to keep the oils in check and had no sign they were painting that day. One had on plastic gloves, why didn’t I think of that!
Art by CRAllen 