Thoughtless Painting

Perspectives from The Artist's Road

The Flume Watercolor John Hulsey

We outdoor painters are always on the search for beautiful places to paint, and so we become inveterate travelers and explorers. Some of us will go to great lengths to put ourselves in remarkable spots, and that may require overseas travel or lengthy, arduous hikes up into the mountains with a backpack full of gear. Often, it seems, after great efforts to attain some summit view or lofty lake, we find ourselves in a stunningly beautiful painting spot, but with rapidly changing light conditions. It is tempting to rush into action without taking the time to really see our subject fully. Working furiously in an attempt to capture the scene can result in missing it entirely. It is at those times that we have to stop for a moment and decide whether it is even possible, given the conditions, to get anything worthwhile on canvas or paper. If the decision is to go full speed ahead, then we must put our conscious mind in the b…