From Field Study to Studio: Ft Ord Dunes
All great traditional landscape artists paint from nature. Painting on location, or plein air painting, captures the true colors, light, and atmosphere of a scene in a way that photographs often distort. Cameras can alter color values, compress depth, and lose subtle details in shadows and highlights, whereas painting from life allows the artist to observe and interpret the full range of natural light and color relationships. Additionally, being present in the environment engages all the senses, leading to a more dynamic and emotionally resonant representation. While I frequently paint en plein air, only on rare occasions does a field study captivate me so completely that it inspires a studio painting nearly identical to the original.
One such moment happened last January when I joined the Monterey Bay Plein Air Painters for a special outing to Fort Ord Dunes State Park, a breathtaking stretch of coastline not far from my home. You can read about that adventure here. I’ve painted the dunes around Marina, CA, many times before, but this time, park rangers led us to a remote, rarely accessed location. I often ride my eBike through this area but it’s just a little too far to walk. I produced a decent piece, which was a keeper, and loved the view and composition of the painting. Here are just a few snapshots from that day…
This is the original plein air piece, with hardly a smidgen of touchup in the studio.
I liked the composition and scene so much, I spent the last week doing a larger piece in the studio very true to the original on location piece…
As usual, I might touch it up a bit, but seems finished to me!
Here is the original plein air painting on top of the studio piece in a single snapshot. (I blocked out the extraneous parts of the photograph.)
MBPAPA and the State Park staff are exploring ways to showcase this restoration project as a shining example for other State Parks. Proposed exhibition venues include Asilomar State Park Gallery, CSUMB, Monterey Airport, and even state office buildings in San Jose, San Francisco, and Sacramento. Stay tuned—this collaboration could inspire even more creative and environmental synergy
From Field Study to Studio: Ft Ord Dunes Read More »
