Plein Air Painting in Virgina, a lesson in values

Being from Colorado, whenever I leave the state and find myself painting where there is moisture in the air, it takes a little getting use to when I pull out my paints.  This was no exception when I headed to Virginia this past week to paint.  Lush rolling hills, pristine groomed pastureland, foxhound hunts, beautiful historic homes and pristine scenes were the subjects of my paintings for the last 5 days.  My friends Hugh and Nedra call Rappahanock County in Virginia their home and it always a treat to visit them.  Nedra s a fellow painter, so she and I spent four days running all over the countryside painting our hearts out.  There was a painting everewhere I turned.

You can purchase this painting through eBay by clicking on this link to bid.

Ok, back to the moisture subject.  The light in Colorado is stark and other than snow days, rarely will you see humidity lingering in the morning among the trees.  But the countryside of  Rappahanock County (just one hour NW of D.C.)  is what you can expect when you step out into the morning air.

The first day of painting, we started the morning with a cloudy day.  I was already assessing the colors and values in my head as we started out towards the woods.  Using acrylics again (they are just soooo easy to travel with), I knew it was going to be a push for me to get the values I desired.  I was up for the challenge, so I gathered my courage and stuck with it until I found the warm, earthy tones of a nearby creek against the coolness of the background.
 


Next stop was painting in the village of Little Washington.  Little Washington is about 30 to 40 minutes from Shenandoah Valley and just shy of the West Virginia border.  History murks in all the cracks and crannies of this little Virginia village.  One of the main points is a historic church that is now one of the two performing arts theatres in the town. 

Nedra and I set up mid-town to paint but there was a chilly wind.  We were bundled up for the occasion and the dropping temperatures made me paint quickly.  With some leaves left on a tree in front of the church, I
 
To bid on this painting, click here

could not resist the blue and orange composition against the bright white of the sunlight church.

So this week is the posting of my Virginia paintings.  For those interested, I am listing them on eBay.  If interested, click on the enclosed links and they will take you directly to the eBay selling site of the painting.

Stay tune for more paintings!