“Freshwater bay, Isle of Wight.”
Finally, I did another plein air painting, after few months of procrastination (my excuse was still life painting – and I am getting better and better at and like it more and more – so I can use it as an excuse for not painting outdoors.).
Anyway, I finished preparing the wooden palette from MOSEPI. I treated it all over with three coats of Danish oil, bought from the hardware store. Left it to dry about 24 hours in between. Then I applied two coats of boiled linseed oil, only over the palette area and over the brush holders and left it to dry for longer, about two days in between coats and few days after the last one.
And I decided to test the setup today. The setup is lightweight, an Italian style field easel and the Mosepi palette. We went on the Isle of Wight and ended up in the rural town Freshwater, less crowded with tourists then the eastern coast of the island. In spite of that, it is a picturesque location. We had a little wander around and stopped on the far western part of the beach, right underneath the cliff. We spent few hours, most of the day painting.
The setup is brilliant. Sturdier than it looks and definitely sturdier than I thought it would be. Although it was quite windy, with a constant fairly strong breeze, the easel stood firmly. The palette, also is quite strong and can hold brushes, medium dippers and even paint tubes.
I had the canvas prepared beforehand with a reddish coat.
I didn’t use any medium, although I had some with me, just paints and turps.
The palette was quite reduced, two yellows, two blues, white and two browns.
So, here it is, my first plein air painting in months and the first done using a new setup (for me):
“Freshwater Bay, Isle of Wight.”
Oil on linen.
30 X 40cm (12” X 16”).
