A Plein Air in Black and White

A plein air painting of a barn done with black and white paint.

Stonehedge Antiques. 8"x6", oil on linen. 2013

The fact is that some paintings don't go as well as others.  It was raining in Hillsboro, the light was dim, and I had spent an hour and a half painting a scene that looked like a brown mess.

In frustration, I scraped the canvas, turned 90 degrees to the right and painted this view of a stone barn.  With pre-mixed black and white paint in 5 piles, each with a different value, I was able to complete the value study in 10 or 15 minutes.

I don't think there was much to be gained from spending any longer on the painting - at this point I had said all I needed to say, so I packed up my gear and headed home.  I took some photos of the scene at the same time and I will try the same painting in color over the winter.


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