My last day in Ireland and I wanted to do one more plein air painting (painting outdoors). I have been staying in the Connemara area in County Galway which characterised by rugged hills, mountains, lakes and vibrant green foliage.
The weather wasn't the best as it was overcast with low cloud, but despite the lack of direct sun I realised that the differences in tone of the hills and mountains could be quite effective in a painting.
This wasn't the easiest plein air painting conditions as there was a fine mist which turned to drizzle and I was being eaten alive by some tiny biting insects!
The location I chose to paint was at the side of the road in Connemara National Park about 45 minutes away from the town of Clifden. I really liked this view and it was very atmospheric with the dark low cloud on the rugged hills.
I set up my pochade box and got to work.
I pre prepared my canvas with a layer of burnt umber, which helps to warm up the painting as it comes through the paint layers. I roughly sketched out the scene.
I start by painting the sky which sets the whole tone of the painting. I mix the clouds with ultramarine blue, burnt umber, quinacridone magenta and titanium white. I use the same colours for the distant hills.
I was painting quickly as it was starting to drizzle a little.
I start adding in my greens using a combination of yellow oxide, ultramarine blue, quinacridone magenta, burnt sienna, pthalo green and titanium white. I am conscious to keep my greens in the mid ground a little desaturated to make them recede in the painting.
Here I start adding in the grasses and layers of exposed earth. I mix the soil tones with pthalo green, quinacridone magenta and burnt sienna so it is within colour harmony to the greens.
By this point I was wanting to get my painting finished as quickly as possible, the drizzle was starting to for drips on my painting as seen in the previous picture.
I the end the drizzle was so bad that I had to finish this painting off at the house I was staying out but I had got it mostly finished. I used my most saturated greens in the foreground and I painted some sheep to add a focal point.
This is the finished painting.
'Connemara Landscape', 7" x 10" (approx), oil on canvas.
This is the view across the road from where I was painting.
I hope you enjoyed this blog, I have more paintings on my website: samuelearp.com