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I've been busy painting and have neglected posting my new paintings and what I've been up to. (I'm also helping with my daughter's wedding) My latest venture is Plein air painting! I know...I'm a little late as many artists have been doing this for years now. I have done several plein air paintings over the years too, and did it as young as 16 years old in my high school art class. We took a field trip to Kings Harbor in Redondo and sketched all day. The instructor of my Life Drawing class, in college, also had us going out and sketching people around town. It felt silly at first, but I got over it quickly. That was then...Fast forward to now, for some reason I am more self conscious and painting outside with people watching me had kept me in my studio. I still paint from life when I can but usually that's of flowers, or my view outside, which by the way, is amazing! But I'm still safe in my surroundings. There were a few times while I lived in Ventura, that I went to the beach and painted. I almost sold it, but didn't have a proper way of getting his contact, for when it dried. I remember having a hard time talking to people that approached me. That was in 2016. I think people are more used to seeing painters out now, and especially around here. But. I'm sure I will get more used to it. Right now I'm taking baby steps, and it's working! 

My first outing was to a nature walk that I know well. Usually no one is there so I knew I'd be safe. 

I have a tripod and pochade box from years ago but it's not stable enough to take out. I've used it at home and the attachment is wobbly. I'm planning on buying a new setup but they are really expensive! So until I sell a few paintings, I'm using my lap. You can see in the photo my paint set up is primitive (this time pictured here, I forgot the palette so I improvised using the plastic bag!  The easier it is to set up, the more likely that I will get out there and paint! I throw it all in my bag and go! I'm using casein paints, which are new to me but have been around pre-oil paints! Casein is milk paint, so water is the solvent and drying time is almost instant. If you've been following my progress over the years, I started out with oil paints  in 2009 and love them. However, the solvents and mess is a real thing. I'm sensitive to smells, they make me dizzy. I still use them though because nothing can compare...Casein is the first paint I've tried that gives me the same feel while painting. Not exactly the same but more than any other paint I've tried. The smell is a little strong and I am finding that the ammonia in it destroys my brushes. I recommend using  inexpensive synthetic brushes. These paintings I'm doing are on artboard which I randomly tried from Blick. I like how sturdy they are and am testing different varnishes right now. Gamvar soaks up too much, I tried an acrylic gel but it was gloss, next I'm going to try cold wax.

My next outing was Dana Point Harbor. There is so much to paint and it's one of my favorite spots to walk so I felt very comfortable going there. I started out sketching in my car...then took my artboard pad and a pencil to the point. It was high tide and the the waves were crashing on the benches! It was super windy too. I wasn't going to be able to paint but I was determined to sit there and sketch amongst the crowds, for practice. Not only of being around people while sketching but seeing the cliffs and waves in real life. Getting the feel of the salt air and hearing the crashing waves. Seeing the colors in real life is ideal for painting and I tried to get down some colors before leaving. 

This was from a photo I took but I wanted to see what colors I could get from the casein paint I have

Sold

The last is an oil painting I just did on my patio. 

Jennifer Beaudet