Jim Lamb Plein Air Workshop - Day 1

Starting from today, I'm in Jim Lamb's 3 day Pein Air workshop over this weekend. There was a small problem happened to my motorcycle this morning on my way to Oil&Water Art Shop on Bainbridge Island. But I got there 50 min late eventually.

In the morning Jim did a demonstration in a class room, then seven of us went to Bainbridge Island Vineyards & Winery to paint. About the time when we started, sun was out and nice. However, thick clouds rolled in quickly and even rain started about 3:30P. Most of us managed to finish a piece. The photo, left, is my outcome.

Some of Jim's key advices were:

1. left side was too heavy at the beginning. Then I adjusted the composition by changing large shapes on the left to balance with right side.
2. define the darkest dark (edge of the pond) first, then I can define the next dark (shadow part of background trees) in relative to it. The same rule can apply to colors. Define greenest green first then decide others in relative to it.
3. paint the mass of background trees first, then curve sky into them to shape the edge of trees.

After I stopped painting this about 4P, he left me the final comments to this outcome:

1. sky is too heavy (color/value-wise). It should be closer to the pond surface.
2. The vine field (yellowish center part) is too hot (means too warm in color).

I'm looking forward to Day 2 tomorrow.