Less is More

Less is more is the ideal mantra for any practice, don’t you agree gentle reader? You may be wondering why I say this. Stay tuned! I will share here today. But first, I welcome new readers! And, here’s a link for those of you who are curious about the focus of this post and blog. Onward, eh?

Why Less Is More

First, I admit that the first title I was going to use this week was “Beat the Heat.” After all, everyone around the world and back has been dealing with record breaking temperatures for weeks. And, as I thought about our adventures camping this past week, I realized we did something counter intuitive to beat the heat. What exactly did we do?

We packed up our camper and tent and went two hours west to Lake Badin near Uwharrie National Forest. Even though temperatures are soaring and the heat index is down right unbearable, we set ourselves up to live and sleep outdoors. Were we crazy or what? How was it? Let’s start off with the good parts first: the views!

Badin Lake

Here’s a photo of Badin Lake. This vista is walking distance from our campsite. Beautiful!

We could not believe how green, lush and private the campsites were! Yay! So, beat the heat by heading into it, right? Less is more because you too, can go without air conditioning in the middle of the hottest summer ever, right?

Uh, no! Or let’s just say as long as we kept moving, there was a semblance of a ‘breeze’. And, we had good company. So, heat was not foremost on our minds. That is until bedtime. Holy smokes it was hot! And, let’s just say that 15 minutes of restless sleep in the camper didn’t quite set me up for an enjoyable weekend. But paddling and painting were on the agenda for Saturday. So onward!

Paddling and Painting

Even though I am not one of those (nut job) people who say “Sleep is over rated.” I knew we had to enjoy where we were while we were there. Here’s a photo of David and our buddy, Bryce, getting ready to paddle in the Lake for the day.

And as they paddled, I set up to paint outdoors all day long. Wahoo! Here’s a photo of the first of four quick color sketches I did that day. And, it’s during days like this that I begin to see the value of less is more.

Why? I have probably said this in previous posts about painting outdoors. However, the challenge of painting outside is … well …challenging! Meaning? Meaning, the light is always changing. This is no big deal if you are a painter who doesn’t think about light. But I think about light and air and atmosphere all the time. And, these things do change constantly outdoors. How do I solve this problem? Good question! Let’s see if there are a few answers.

Setting the Stage

First, I think it helps to over prepare and plan ahead. So before heading outside I have stuff totally unrelated to painting on hand. Such as? Bug spray, sun screen, water, a snack and/or sandwich, plenty of water. Each of these goodies turn a potentially miserable challenging day into a super fabulous and fun challenging day.

Then I get to set the stage for painting. I have a list of everything I need to bring. And I check that list before I leave. That way, I can focus on getting ready to paint. This means I’m not wasting time looking for that one thing I forgot to bring. I apply the same plan and plan ahead when I paint now too. Meaning? Meaning I use my viewfinder to find my first favorite “motif” or composition. Then I draw it in pencil. Then after I have laid out my paints, I get out my palette knife and mix up several of the main colors before I start painting. This is huge for me!

And, if you’re a painter who always pre-mixes your colors and is thinking “Duh Julie!” OK OK…you’re right, I should have done this starting ages ago. ;-D Just know that I went to a school that taught color studies where, at times, we were mixing and laying paint on the fly, so to speak, with our brushes.

Thinking and Painting

Anyway, once the stage is set, the fun begins, right? Well yes but I also find that my mind is thinking “how can I communicate that scene with as few strokes as possible.” It’s not that I want the work that I am doing outdoors to be complete. Although sometimes that can happen. Rather I am thinking about creating color sketches of moments with as little information as possible. Then when I am finished for the day, I can take these paintings back to the studio. These painting sketches can remain as they are. Or, sometimes I keep thinking about the painting.

As I think, I wonder how that simple color sketch can be improved. And, even as I paint in the studio, where light and temperature and atmosphere are much more controlled, I seek out painting with as little as is necessary. Or said another way, I seek ways to say as much as I can with as little as I can.

Examples of Color Sketches

Here are three color sketches I did at Badin Lake last weekend.

Each of these color sketch paintings is 5×7 inches on panel. They were fast and fun! They are examples of seeking and finding a way to paint more with less.

Another Example

At the end of July, I did a color sketch just down the road from our house at Pullen Park. There is a row of cedar trees near the park that always catch my eye. Even though it was another hot as h-e-double-toothpick day, I set up my paints and got to work. Here’s the set up from that day.

This was my first time where I premixed my colors with a palette knife. Gotta say, I had a blast painting this color sketch. Then I brought it home to the studio and worked on it. Guess what happened? I found myself overthinking while I worked on this painting in the studio. What to do?

Time Out

I put that painting in a spot where I couldn’t see it for awhile. You may think that the painting, now out of sight, is in time out. On the contrary, gentle reader. I put myself in time out. Thankfully I do my best to have several paintings going at once. And, I also mix up gouache paints and step away from oil paints. This type of ‘break’ is so refreshing.

Then I took a walk by those delightful cedar trees near Pullen Park just recently. With fresh eyes, I took in their setting, the light and the surrounding colors from the sky and ground. Excited to start again, I brought out this painting and got to work.

New Results

I am excited to share this painting now. The freshness of the start on that day in July is back. Here’s “Less is More” a 6×12 inch painting on panel.

Even though the days are hot around here, these stately trees cool things off. And, I used cool greens in the trees to offset that sunny warm green in the foreground. Ahhh! Thank goodness for trees, their shade and city parks to offer a respite from these hot summer days, eh?

If you want this painting for your very own, it’s yours for $197 + tax + shipping. Simply click on the Paypal button below to make it yours.

Your Thoughts

What about you gentle reader? Are you pondering a problem, making it complicated and then realizing there’s a simpler way? If so, please do share your thoughts and ideas in the comments below. Thank you for reading here today!