First day of vacation for me…finally. So does a plein air painter sleep in? Heck, no! Up at the crack of dawn to paint at the beautiful Lake Patoka which is just right down the road from me. Fortunately the oppressive heat wave is over for a while so the morning could not have been more pleasant.
Lake Patoka has 8,800 surface acres set in a 29,000 acre state recreation area. So peaceful and not crowded. I have been scouting places to paint and selected this site on the eastern side of the lake. No one was there except me and the cormorants fishing for their breakfasts.
Cormorants fishing for breakfast at Lake Patoka
The first painting was facing north with the strafing light and shadows from the right.
Patoka Lake, first site
First plein air painting at Patoka Lake. 11×14, watercolor, Kit Miracle
The second painting was facing west with the sun at my back.
Second site at Patoka Lake
Second plein air painting at Patoka Lake, 11 x 14, watercolor, Kit Miracle
I'm a professional artist, retired director of a performing arts center, bona fide book addict, and enjoy the quiet life...most of the time. I'd love to hear from you or get your ideas for future posts. Come back soon!
my90acres 
Lovely! Have a great vacation, Kit!!
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Thanks, Laura. Wish you could come out and paint,too.
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You really did an excellent job of capturing the light and feeling of your scenes.
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Thanks, Margaret. I’ve been working at simplifying the values lately. Light, medium and dark. It seems to make a stronger painting. And, of course, lots of squinting.
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Ah! I forget to squint when I am in the “heat of battle”, I do that in the studio but not while I am plein air painting. I need to work on my values, they often get lost.
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