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After spending weeks gathering my supplies, researching and purchasing a smaller plein air easel, (STRADA mini) ordering canvases, a large array of brushes and paint for my limited palette…I found myself in the picturesque village of Bourdeilles.  This village with it’s 13th century fortress and 16 century castle with pointy roofs is built on top of limestone cliffs jetting down to the banks of the River Dronne below. The town with its narrow streets, stone structures, blue shutters and vivid blooming flowers was charming and I made sure to get plenty of photos for panting references for my France series of paintings and my online class I am creating ,Painting the Magic of France (this exciting project is in the works- so excited for it!!). Just outside of the village is where my painter friends and I would venture off every morning to immerse ourselves in the plein air experience to paint the rolling hills of sunflowers, wheat fields, red tiled farm houses, and the river and skies of the country side.

Sure I have read about the light of France and how it changed landscape painting when artists started to paint outdoors. This was due to the invention of aluminum tubes that could encase oil pigments freeing painters to retreat outdoors and no longer be confined to the dull light of their indoor studios. Well experiencing this magical light first-hand was something I could not have anticipated. It truly is magical and seems almost prismatic to me.  It’s so bright it can be glaring…brighter than a sunny San Diego day at the beach! And then there is GREEN. Green everywhere! I never saw so many shades of green. Especially after being in San DIego during our drought conditions. Then there were the sunflower fields…they just wanted to make me smile. Acres and acres of yellow sun flower fields with each individual sunflower beaming like a smiling child! There were also red tiled roofs, ancient stone buildings and cerulean blue skies with violet puffy clouds.  The river with its prismatic reflections reminded me of Monet’s lily pond reflection paintings and there were also hay stacks.…many hay stacks.

Suddenly I felt as if I was inside one of Monet’s or Van Gogh’s Paintings! I imagined myself living within one of their pantings with their colors and brush stokes painting the scene before me. I questioned how I could possibly paint this and do it justice??!  How could I mix all those greens before the light changes! I can’t possibly paint a million sunflowers in 3 hours! How can I paint the reflections of the river as Monet did?

Panic washed over me and all I wanted to do was to crawl into an art history book and see how they did it. But I couldn’t. I was out there in the middle of a field with only my sketch book, paints and my own experience as a plein air painter.  Me with my limited palette but modified with 3 shades of yellow paint I brought for all the sunflowers. Here I was in the middle of France, with all my tools and paints, and brushes living a dream…but it was up to me how I would be able to interpret what was in front of me. And not only mechanically interpret it but emotionally too!

Jet lagged and overwhelmed I took a deep breath and I got going on what always seems to get me centered when in this kind of situation. And for that matter…the process that I use most every time I paint these days. Simple Notan sketches in my notebook. A Notan is a designed sketch from observation in my case… interpreting what I see and simplifying it to just black and white shapes to create a composition and my artistic statement. This technique was discovered by the European impressionist painters who were inspired by the simplistic yet sophisticated designs of the Japanese wood block prints. The notan has been used by many artist for centuries; On of my favorite aritsts, Georgia O’Keefe used this technique as well. Below see how I use Notan sketches in my process.

So it was in my sketch book with a bold Sharpie marker that I found a way to ease my panic and get to work from the simplicity of the Notan.  I found my way out of being overwhelmed and conquered my fear of painting the beautiful light and of not being able to stand up to the great masters that did it before me. Sometimes we can really freak ourselves out with such lofty goals!  I was more able to enjoy being in the moment in the heart of the beautiful country side of France and do what I came all that way to do! PAINT!

Do you sometimes have fear of getting started to paint?

If so what is that fear?

Feel free to email your answers! I would be interested in knowing ; )

Painting by Rose Irelan: “Sunflower Fields of Bourdeilles”, oil 8″ x 16″  ©Rose Irelan 2018

The Key is to take the complexity…

of what you see and reduce it to the most simplified structure you can in a small “thumbnail sketch” . thumbnail sketches help me to explore what I am trying to achieve in the painting …whether it be an emotion, colors, lighting, pattern, or shape design.

It is up to the artist to interpret…not only what they see but what they feel. At least that is my goal as I paint whether it is outdoors or in the studio.  In doing this valuable exercise I work out what will and most importantly what will NOT work during my limited time plein air painting this particular moment in time and place. This also is my golden rule for more refined studio paintings
as well.

Working fast with a Sharpie…I do these Notans quickly to problem solve on the spot while trying to catch the light which will change within 3 hours or so!

Each stroke has a purpose and works with the whole painting.

“It’s on the strength of observation and reflection that one finds a way. So we must dig and delve unceasingly.”
? Claude Monet (1840-1926)

Painting by Rose Irelan: “Heavenly Haystacks”, oil, 6″ x 8″  ©Rose Irelan 2018

Painting by Rose Irelan: “French Farm and Sunflowers”. SOLD ©Rose Irelan 2018

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To view collection in person before I publish it on my web site please call or email me for a personal appointment. [email protected] or 858-245-6549