The Artist_s Magazine 2016-03__

March 2016 59

en plein air. Start by simply panning in on a

small area—a group of trees or even part of

a tree—as if you were painting a portrait or

still life (see Touch of Spring, page 57). h is

suggestion alone can make all the dif erence

when you’re suddenly outside with all of nature

before you.

I also urge you to bring your camera on

your plein air excursions. Photograph your

subject every 30 to 40 minutes so that you can

later compare the photos and learn how dif-

ferent your subject looks as cast shadows shift

under changing light conditions. h is under-

standing will impress upon you the necessity

to establish strong cast shadows early when

painting en plein air; those shadows are the

i rst to change. When you’re photographing

your subject, also photograph your painting,

which can also be instructive. ■

ABOVE: I painted

Wind Swept (oil

on linen, 24x36) in

the studio based

on observations

during a 10-day

painting trip along

the California coast.

Squinting allowed

me to simplify the

colors and shapes

of the tree, which

I painted opaquely

to contrast with

the transparently

painted sky.

ALBERT HANDELL is a master signature member of Oil

Painters of America and a master artist of the American

Impressionist Society. In 1987 he became the fourth

living American artist accepted into the Pastel Society

of America Hall of Fame. In 2007, the Butler Institute of

American art (Youngstown, Ohio) honored him with a

retrospective exhibition of his works in pastel. He offers

a variety of workshops as well as advanced Paint-A-Long

mentoring programs. Articles about his work as well as

the downloadable PDF Albert Handell: Essential Lessons

in Pastel Painting can be found at northlightshop.com.

Ventana Fine Art, Santa Fe, N.M. represents his work.

Visit his website at alberthandell.com.