http://www.outdoorpainter.com /August-September 2019 75
I thinkthismightbemybestpleinairpaintingtodate.I workedfastandfuriousonit forthreehours,andI lovedit whenI finishedit.Butit hasproblems.
Mostnotably,theheadoftheshovel,whichendsupbeingthefocalpoint,isdirectlycenteredinthecomposition.Thereareenoughotherthingstolookat
thatI didn’tnoticeit atfirst,butlaterI thought,“How’dI missthat?”I nowmakea markinthecenterofmycanvasattheoutset to avoid such a problem in
the future. I painted this piece on a gray background and tried to fill it with life and color while remaining true to the scene.