080916 12x12 Deep End of the Pool

This is another plein air from the Brown County State Park as part of the Art in the Park Project Grant I received from the Indiana Arts Commission and the Department of Natural Resources. 

I set up in one spot at the pool but ended up moving to another spot.  People constantly on the move can make it difficult to compose a painting!

I settled on a location on the right side of the deep end with the diving boards.

I start the painting by blocking in the deep rich blue of the pool.

I add the background and start popping in the swimmers, one gesture at a time!

These young ladies were two pairs of sisters in the park on a camping trip, enjoying the final days of summer before returning to school.  They saw me starting to pack up my painting and came over to see the final result.

Here is the final painting:

"Deep End of the Pool, August 9, 2016", plein air oil on panel, 12" x 12", c. Charlene Marsh

Happy Trails!

Charlene 

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080816 12x12 Swimmers

I started to set up next to the baby pool but just as I was getting ready to start painting, they all got up and left!

So I turned my attention to the Olympic size pool.  You can see it wasn't super busy!

Even so, some young swimmers stopped to check the progress of the painting.

Luckily, this bather/model seemed content to hang out at the edge of the pool for a long while watching her kids.

Here's some more swimmers who stopped to check out the painting.

The lifeguards blew the whistle for the break and emptied out the pool.  Luckily, I was just putting the finishing touches on the painting.

These kids from Bloomington were taking a swim lesson from their coach before the lifeguards cleared the pool.  They stopped by to check out the painting on their way out.  Their mom is the figure on the left in the painting.  She was on the move keeping track of her kids!

Here they pose for a picture before heading home.

And here is the finished painting, swimmers in action!  Plein air oil painting done at the Olympic size, outdoor pool at the Brown County State Park.

"Swimmers, August 8, 2016", plein air oil painting on panel, 12" x 12", c. Charlene Marsh

Happy Trails!

Charlene 
 
P.S.  Be sure to sign up for THE ART BRUSH newsletter where you can receive news, tips, special pricing, exhibitions, and more!  As a bonus, when you subscribe, you will immediately receive a FREE one page report on How to Create Health, Wealth, and Harmony Using Fine Art!

062716 12x16 Changing of the Guard

This is another painting I did as part of the Arts in the Park Project Grant I received to paint in the Brown County State Park.  The lifeguards were switching out, hence the title.  Other swimmers and bathers were painted in as they walked by.  Everyone was moving!  I love painting all the action!

"Changing of the Guard, June 27, 2016", plein air oil painting on panel, 12" x 16", c. Charlene Marsh

Happy Trails!

Charlene 
 
P.S.  Be sure to sign up for THE ART BRUSH newsletter where you can receive news, tips, special pricing, exhibitions, and more!  As a bonus, when you subscribe, you will immediately receive a FREE one page report on How to Create Health, Wealth, and Harmony Using Fine Art!

062516 Divers

I painted this scene of the deep end of the pool with lots of action on the diving boards!

 

Another hot, sunny day and lots of people at the pool on this Saturday.  Burned the back of my legs!  Ouch!

Here is the finished painting:

"Divers, June 25, 2016", plein air oil on panel, 12" x 16", by Charlene Marsh.

Have a great summer!

Happy Trails!

Charlene

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061616 Summertime at the Pool

Busy day at the pool!  Hot and sunny!  Lots of action!  This painting was done at the Olympic size pool at the Brown County State Park(Indiana) as part of the Arts in the Park project grant I received celebrating the bicentennial of the state.

I tend to set up and get to painting and things move so fast, I forget to shoot any photos of the progress of the painting.

So here is the painting in situ.  People move a lot so I am often just capturing a gesture, a movement, a head bobble.  


I absolutely love the brilliant sunlight and crystal blue sky and pool but sunburn is one of my greatest challenges!  I wear a long sleeve shirt, hat, and full shoes (tops of feet are very tender!) and often still get burned on some little nook or cranny that the sun finds. 

Here is the finished painting.  "Summertime at the Pool, June 16, 2016", plein air oil, 12" x 12", by Charlene Marsh.

Have a great summer!

Happy Trails!

Charlene

P.S. Be sure to sign up for my e-newsletter, the Art Brush, and receive instant access to an article I wrote, How to Create Health, Wealth, and Harmony Using Fine Art as well as specials, new paintings, tips, exhibitions, and more!

053116 12x12 Fun On the Diving Board

I had such a fantastic time painting the pool, I went back out the next day to paint again.  I arrived shortly after noon and the pool was not quite as bustling as the day before.  But I noticed about the time I was finishing up, there were more and more people arriving.  On my way out of the pool area, I noticed on the signage that the pool doesn't open until noon so I will try to arrive more mid-afternoon to paint and capture the swimmers after more have arrived.  The pool closes at 7 p.m. and I bet the numbers start dwindling by 5-6 p.m.

Anyway, after circumnavigating the pool, I decided most of the action and excitement was in the diving board area so I set up to paint there.  Had a blast capturing the kids flinging themselves off the diving boards in all kinds of acrobatic positions!

Here is the finished painting:

"Fun on the Diving Board, May 31, 2016", plein air oil, 12" x 12", by Charlene Marsh.  

Thanks for tuning in!

Happy Trails!

Charlene  

P.S.  Be sure to sign up for my e-newsletter, The Art Brush, and get instant access to a FREE one page report on How to Create Health, Wealth, and Harmony Using Fine Art!

053016 12x12 Memorial Day Pool Time!

I headed to the Brown County State Park to paint as part of the Arts in the Park project grant I received.  While I had intended to paint in the forest, I was immediately drawn to the luscious turquoise blue of the pool at the North Entrance of the park.  I also was excited to paint the activity and movement of the people in the pool area enjoying one of the first days of summer.  I used to do a lot of figure painting including quick gestural sketches so I really wanted to try my hand at it again. 

First, I scouted out various vantages around the pool area.  Since the day was quite hot and sunny, I found a spot in the shade to set up in.

Instead of starting with the darkest hues as I normally do, I blocked in the brilliant turquoise of the pool mixed with cerulean blue and white and, to a lesser degree, ultramarine blue and white.  I wanted to capture that crystal clear blue, unmuddied by any other colors or pigments.

I quickly captured a pair of young ladies sitting on the edge of the pool before they got up and left.  The lifeguard was fairly stationary but they changed out about every 10 minutes and the new one would assume a whole new posture.  Throughout the pool area, the people were constantly on the move.  So I would dab in an arm, a leg, a slouch, a dance, a stride that captured the frenetic movement.

This family was heading to their car after an afternoon at the pool and stopped to admire the finished painting.

And here is the final painting.  I took it to a show just three days later, still wet, and the first person that saw it bought it. 

"Memorial Day at the Pool, May 30, 2016", plein air, oil, 12" x 12", by Charlene Marsh.  SOLD

Thanks for following along!

Happy Trails!

Charlene

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