Original oil painting on mdf panel 9x6"

Having a go at painting the russet apples on the 8x6" the other day gave me the courage to try out a 9x6" panel outdoors. It is still a relatively small painting but I felt much more conspicuous and also unsure if I could pull it off. Could I cover a board this size in an hour? Had I bitten off more than I could chew with all those foreground trees?  In fact I think it turned out pretty well (unless it turns out to be one of those I like at first and then gradually realise is not so great!). I think this was due in part to the weather being kind to me - the sky remained clear the whole time.  I'm feeling confident to try another tomorrow if the weather allows. 

To get the painting  home in one piece I tried a tip using a wine cork that I found  here on Marc Dalessio's blog. It worked a treat, and perhaps because I only had a ten minute walk home there was no smudging at all where the corks had been.
 
​And after squinting into the sun for a whole hour, tomorrow I will definitely try to find a cap to wear!

Original oil painting on primed card 6x4"

I've made it to two weeks.  I'll be honest, the last two days before this one were a struggle.  The only time I could find to paint was after the kids had gone to bed - and I was pretty exhausted.  I think that shows in yesterday's painting of a russet apple in particular - I made a mistake with the drawing which I'm itching to go back and fix.  Maybe I can squeeze that in tomorrow.

Today I took advantage of the sunny morning and headed down to the river Thames, not far from where I did my last plein air painting. Looking across the river towards Ham (Ham House is just to the left of this scene) the sun was not long risen, and dazzlingly bright. I hope I've managed to capture a sense of that in my painting. I'm not especially pleased with the composition - I think I need to walk a bit further along the river to get to a bend so that the opposite bank doesn't make a horizontal line across the picture.

I'm a bit of a newcomer to plein air painting, but I have to say I've enjoyed every minute so far.  Its been my dream for many many years to paint landscapes straight from life so  I'm really happy that I'm finally managing to do it -although I've still got a lot to learn.
I've been following Marc Dalessio's blog for a a long time, and have picked up some great tips from there and his youtube channel where he very generously shares videos of some of his demonstrations.  Also, I highly recommend the book  'Carlson's Guide to Landscape Painting' to anyone wanting to give this type of painting a go.

oil on primed card 5x4"

Making the most of the clear weather I got down to the river Thames today and produced this plein air study. I'd forgotten how hard it is trying to pin down values in changing light conditions. I love the challenge though- got to get out and do some more soon.

I painted this from the steps near Orleans Gardens, Twickenham, looking over to the Ham side of the river.