Painting the Ideal Summer

Perspectives from The Artist's Road

Summer Fields 9 x 12” John Hulsey

In many ways, Summer is a very interesting time for art making, one which is filled with the distractions and pleasures of the outdoors. Should I paint or lie in the hammock? (I waited all winter for this!) It can be surprisingly difficult on some days, to get serious about work.

Those days when we do get serious and head off to work en plein air, the predominance of green creates the biggest challenge. We look at that as an opportunity to learn to see subtle variations in the green hues and color temperatures all around us. Painting the same location once in the morning and again in the afternoon teaches volumes about the temperature shifts that occur in summer greens throughout the day. The real trick, we’ve found, is to take more time, slow down and enjoy just looking at the subject. Unlike winter work, longer summer days mean more time to spend on looking and painting. These moments teach us more about seeing a…