Traveling With the Brand New Set Up

Six Vieques Paintings

I've already shared my six tropical paintings from Vieques, but I didn't talk about the challenge of painting with a complete change in my usual painting parameters. You'll take one look at the ultra-gorgeous scene I painted that first day and most likely have zero sympathy when I state that it was difficult to get started.  Okay, yes, I'm thinking of that old saying,  "a bad day of fishing beats a great day at the office."

So in the context of being fortunate and grateful to even be on this trip, I'll say that there were challenges. Among them:

• A new lightweight easel (disassembled for flight) 
• A new palette board (no familiar color spots marking my usual placements)
• Unfamiliar hardware used to attach the palette to new easel

  

  Not Exactly Travelling Light

• Stark white, non-toned substrates (usually I use toned surfaces).
• No turpentine (not allowed by security)
• Tropical colors! No recipes on the brain  (especially for that dazzling turquoise ocean)

Yes I suffered through it :)  item by item...

• Once the new easel was put together on Day One, it didn't need to be disassembled again until it was time to fly home.   The assembled easel stowed easily in the back of the rented Jeep for the duration of the trip. 
• The newly cut (and lightweight) 12x16x.25 inch birchwood panel travelled well and though it took some time initially, it felt no different than my heavyweight palette at home once populated with the oil colors.



Modified Aluminum Easel

• The new aluminum easel had "L" brackets attached with couplings that slid up and down on its respective tripod leg.   Three matching drilled holes in the birch palette lined up with three "L's" on easel legs.  See the three red arrows in photo that shows modified easel that allows palette panel to sit in between tripod.
• I typically apply a neutral undertone over the white canvas and let it dry at least overnight.  All the canvases I brought on this trip were stark white and I discovered that because everything here was so brightly lit, the white surface helped me maintain a high, clear color key.
• Oil painting without turpentine was tough.   I wiped my brushes often and used my walnut oil to clean them as well.   This wasn't an acceptable workaround though, and we located the local hardware store where we purchased a small can for $7.
• Color matching was a matter of trial and error.    I had brought the right ingredients (Cerulean blue, pthalo blue, emerald green).  It was a matter of blending these in the right amounts and combinations.    By Day Two - the required rework was reduced somewhat.

So that is the story.  What I didn't cover here about traveling with the oils is the packing and flying, which I'll share in a future post.  If anyone has questions about the customizations to the easel, the palette or color combinations, let me know and I'll be happy to share more.

Vieques - Mouth of Media Luna Beach

Mouth of Media Luna - Stage One

This post describes the last plein air painting of our trip to beautiful Vieques, PR - and the second painting of the day.   Although I was a little wary of travelling home with wet paintings, using up the rest of the paint on my palette trumped the aforementioned concern.   Not wasting any paint resulted in a very thick and juicy rendering!



This lovely little beach, like all the others, was almost deserted and just as picturesque.    Media Luna's opening to the Caribbean Sea is depicted in this scene.  There were rock formations on each side, natural breakers for the large surf beyond, so it was very nice for swimming and snorkeling.    Although I'm always happy to get home, the warm, tropical look and feel already seems like ages ago!  

Here's hoping for some Massachusetts "local color" very soon, beyond black, white, grey and tan!




Vieques - Under the Sea Grape Trees at Media Luna

Media Luna - Setting Up

Media Luna - Mid Stage

This was the final paint-out day of our vacation.   The beach was called Media Luna - just as pretty as all the rest of the beaches, and no surprise, a beautiful Vieques day.   There were - maybe - a dozen other people scattered along the medium sized, white beach.   I faced southwest and began with the gorgeous cerulean sky and treeline.   A few larger palm trees towered over the uniform scrubby trees.  Closer to our spot, there were several mature sea grape trees.   The sea grape seemed to be the most predominant tree/shrub along the sandy beaches. Having observed their habit and painting them in earlier paintings, I felt more daring laying in some circular impasto strokes.  The thick impressionistic swirls of color included bright gold green with red (representing veins and stems).  

Just as I was getting ready to add the pale turquoise water, a person settled into a shady spot under one of the trees in the painting.   Good timing!  Their shaded form complete with a large wide-brimmed black hat created a distinct silhouette against the bright white sand beyond.   They stayed put long enough for me to rough in their shape. 

Under the Sea Grape



Vieques - Isabel II Mayor's Office from Rivera Plaza

Mayor's Office - Stage One

Our painting location on this day was in the middle of the town square in Isabel II, Vieques, Puerto Rico.   It was sunny and 82 degrees with a gentle breeze.   Ahhh, yes!   The big old trees in the plaza cast pretty blue shadows on the pinkish concrete pathways.   Most of the buildings were stucco in pastel colors and just as pretty as could be.   This trip truly was a dream come true.



Mayor's Office - Stage Two

The bright warm colors in the buildings and street were screaming to be painted thickly.  Why don't we have pastel colored buildings at home?  We seem to gravitate to white, grey, black, just like our winters!   So despite a gnawing worry about transporting a thick, wet painting on a plane back to New England, I buttered on the thick color with wild abandon!



Mayor's Office - Isabel II, Vieques, PR

There was a moderate amount of activity until mid-afternoon when school let out.   At that point lots of (middle-school?) students were relaxing on the steps and grass, many of whom, I discovered were waiting for their rides.      I was sorry that I hadn't brushed up on my Spanish before this trip.  Several students stopped and asked questions; I couldn't understand them and they didn't speak English.  One very animated young student marched over to another group of girls and came back with another friend, bilingual, who became our translator.

So sweet and curious...art is a universal language, as we still engaged with less dependence on words.

Here is a 40 second look at the spot from where I painted.

http://youtu.be/Qv5Jlc6oEeQ


Vieques Beachchair Under Palm

Stage One

Yes that beach chair was mine.  We had just discovered a sandy path to the shore in the Vieques National Wildlife Refuge.   At the end of the road was a deserted beach and a covered gazebo (good for sheltering during the two passing tropical showers we had).   The conditions weren't as perfect as the first two Vieques paint-outs, but I'll take a quick shot of wind and rain with 82 degrees over anything New England has dished out in the past six months!


Downpour Coming

In this painting the sun and southeast facing beach were to my right which made for better color matching.   I'm sure that's why there is more pumped up color.  

Beach Chair Under the Palm

At the risk of you thinking I'm trying to rub it in that I'm here painting in paradise while you were weathering a brutally cold March, here is a very short video of the location of this paint-out.

http://youtu.be/II8BuypgpZU

Vieques - Hectors by the Sea Southwest View

Hector's Southwest View - Mid-Stage

At Hector's by the Sea, Vieques, Puerto Rico, there are scenic views in every direction.   Toward the bottom of the property closest to the ocean, there is a large, open-air covered patio used for special events.   On this day we were the only people using the space, and it was perfect for painting while avoiding the strong midday sun.  

Most residents of Vieques have horses and there are three pet horses on this property.   They usually wander the property during the day, pretty much ignoring guests - even if you walk close by.   During the paint out, the horses were still in their corral allowing me to capture one horse posing at the fence (Bella? I think).

Vieques - Hector's by the Sea Southwest View

The colors were so bright, warm and yellow - almost blinding.  Afterall, I have been accustomed to the white, black and gray of our
New England winter of 2015.  I felt like I was forcing the bright yellow while applying it, but upon review, even more could have been added!  Photographs lie, especially in translating yellow, so you'll have to believe me....the yellow was there in abundance.

Vieques - La Playa Chiva

Vieques - La Playa Chiva

After the winter we have experienced in the Northeast, I was practically delirious to see the bright tropical colors of Vieques, Puerto Rico.   The sky was pure cerulean blue, the water was radiant turquoise and the lush vegetation was bright gold and green.   The fact that we got to paint on this trip was a dream come true.   Words are certain to be insufficient when describing the execution of this painting.   The YouTube video at the following link says at least a thousand words.  

http://youtu.be/AADQ3_kFBC8