Original Version
Reworked Version
8x10 inches
oil on panel
See my paintings HERE
Painters Tip
Reworking a plein air painting
The above painting was done last May in the broiling heat at a 10 day paint out. I thought it was pretty dull. All of the color was the same green in trees and home, so I thought "what the heck?" Either get rid of it or do something fun. I really did not want to redo the whole painting, so I basically did some color changes and cleaned it up a bit. I think it is much happier now and a fun painting, though of course there are architectural failings in it.
Sometimes it is good to put a painting away for a few months and bring it back out for further review. I'm not one of the plein air police who are overly concerned about whether a painting is pure or not. I am only concerned about getting as good a painting as I possibly can.
If that means going back to it in the studio months later, I will do that. I don't really label my paintings plein air and that is not a selling point for my work. I consider myself a landscape painter who works on location and in studio. I am more comfortable with that label than being called a plein air painter.
When you bring a painting back to review it, try to figure out what you don't like and what can be changed to enhance it. Don't over correct. There will be much that is good about it. It probably only needs a bit of clean up or change in color to make it more interesting.
If it is so bad that it needs major reconstruction, I recommend that you sand it down, re prime it and start over. Or you can put it in your sale bin as a study. Believe it or not, I sell a lot of my studies. People actually like them.
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