Observations: Singin- wait...no, Painting in the rain!

You ever chilling outside in cloudy weather, and you feel that...cold, condensation-filled breeze touch your skin... so distinct and ominous? I felt that a few times while doing this most recent plein air painting, and before I knew it, rain was coming down, not too heavy, but not lightly either. I used an umbrella to try to protect the painting, but it, as well as my palette, got wet regardless. I've gotta say, it was the most fun I've had doing an alla prima plein air in a long while, perhaps because of the added stakes of dealing with the rain and potentially halting or ruining the painting. Being an oil painting, it was repelling the water: droplets stayed on the surface and I found that I could dab them off gently with a paper towel without too much trouble. I cannot say the same for the palette. Trying to mix colors just became frustrating as water was mixing (somehow) with the paint, making this concoction that just refused want to stick to the surface, let alone getting it on my brush. Oil and water not mixing? Never heard of it! Just kidding...

moist painting

even moister palette

What drew me to the subject matter in the first place so much that I would risk the rain? I had this very discussion with a friend of mine as I was painting this. I scoped out this beautiful maple tree as a subject a few days before because I was enamored by the the vibrancy of its red leaves. Interestingly, I believe that because of the way light was scattering and being distributed throughout the clouds that day, the leaves appeared to be glowing, almost electrically so. Did I successfully capture that in the final painting? Alas, not completely. The deeper I got into the painting, trying to cover the surface with as much paint as possible before the rain came, I got distracted by the many hues hidden in the grass, which is never just green. What could help me achieve my initial vision for this painting in the future? I think the foremost maple tree, my main subject, currently gets lost within the background due to a lack of sharp edges. Upping contrast in terms of brush texture in addition to value would help it stand distinct from its surroundings. Also, it happened again! The perceived coolness of the painting when viewed outside was diminished when brining it indoors.

-Gigi M.