Donna Pierce-Clark Fine Art

  OVER CAST DAY ON MOUND WOOD CHANNEL 11 x 14" Oil ~~~ As the rain pelted the roof of the shelter house on Mound Wood Channel, I set up to paint this almost dreary day at Indian Lake.  ~~~ While I was setting up, protected under that shelter house, Dennis ventured into the rain.  He got a bit wet this day, but it was worth it! Because of the rain, there were no boats in the channel, so the fish were happy to accommodate Dennis's bait! He brought home a nice catch. ~~~  This was the scene in front of me, along the channel at Mound Wood. ~~~   I quickly drew a sketch on the canvas. Easy to do, as there was no wind. ~~~ This painting was challenging in the sense that capturing that misty, overcast atmosphere required me to do a more intense study of the local colors. And, then, I had to mix those colors. At this point, I concentrated mostly on the green mixes. This was a new and delightful experience because of my new limited palette. ~~~ Next, I put in that dreary...

 Early Morning Stillness (Kiser Lake) 11 x 14 Oil on Linen Canvas Panel  ~~~ We arrived by 7:30 AM, on a week day; so the lake was very still. As the morning progressed, a few people began putting their kayaks in the water, and a few more fishermen joined us. We left by 10:00 AM, my painting finished, Dennis with a good size catch of bluegill, and even at that time, there were still very few people on the lake. All in all, this was a still and peaceful morning. ~~~ I had purchased two new items to help make painting outdoors in oils a little easier, and I truly loved them! One was a new paper towel holder with a super clamp which enabled me to arrange the towel holder just where I needed it to be. The second item was a different way to handle my trash. When these towels become heavy with paint and medium, I need a quick way to throw them away. Below, you will see how much better this whole arrangement works! But, first, my painting process... I found this lovely scene nea...

 A LIFE WELL LIVED Watercolor & Watercolor Crayons ~~~  My reference photo was rather dull in color. Most old barns are. I wanted to highlight the light play of the sunlight that was pouring through the old broken down roof shingles. ~~~  I drew the building onto watercolor paper, then placed masking fluid where all that light was. ~~~   In preparation for a watercolor pour, and as soon as the masking fluid had dried, I wet the entire surface with clear water. ~~~ I poured 3 colors onto the wet surface (Quinacridone Rose, Pthalo Blue, and Hansa Yellow). I then tilted the board to cause the colors to blend into secondary and tertiary mixes across the paper. ~~~   Here you can see how the pour looked after it had dried.  ~~~ I began adding some direct painting. The image is more clear now. ~~~   I did more direct painting, and began to do some lifting. Some crayon work can be seen at the very top of the painting. ~~~ At this point, much crayon work a...

 DISCOVER THE SECRET TO PAINTING EFFORTLESSLY !!! STILL WATERS BESIDE PEW ISLAND PATHWAY 14 x 11" Oil ~~~   There was no breeze on this beautifully warm day at Indian Lake. Calm water and still warm air is always a nice atmosphere for pleinair. Adding to this perfect setting, I chose to limit my resources at hand. By using a limited palette of only six colors, I was able to   1) immediately focus on the details 2) instantly reduce my decision making, and  3) effortlessly create unity throughout the entire painting. Over the years, I have studied with and painted alongside many pleinair artists. They all have a unique palette. I've tried so many! Whether through books, or videos, or in person workshops with world renowned oil painters; I've been inundated with suggestions of what colors to use, what brushes and canvases are best, and a myriad of approaches. Many begin with toning the canvas, others do not. Some use lots of tubes of pigments, some use a limited pale...

  FIGHTING THE ELEMENTS!! WINDY DAY ON THE CHANNEL 11 x 14" Oil ~~~ On this warm breezy day,  I had to fight the strong winds and employ some unusual anchors for my easel!  After setting up, and with a few strokes of wet oil paint on the canvas, the wind grabbed the panel and hurled it off the easel! So I knew some creative measures were necessary! ~~~ First,  I used a small bungie cord on the canvas panel attached to the easel.  You can see it on the back of the panel above, and in front of the panel below: ~~~ I also attached a second small bungie cord from the easel to the front tire of the car! ~~~ All of these new anchors kept the canvas in place, but the wind blew my hat, my apron, and just generally made painting a definite fight . I fought through nearly two hours of this, persevered, and ended up with a halfway decent painting.  I say decent because this is not one of my favorite paintings. More time and energy were spent fighting the elements, rat...

  SEMINOLE ISLAND CHANNEL 11 x 14" Oil We had such a pleasant early Spring day at Indian Lake! Above you can see there are no leaves on the trees yet; but, there were many other colorful and interesting things to see on this trip. While painting, I was serenaded by the geese flying and swimming in the channel area. A sweet Red Winged Blackbird stopped by to see me too! ~~~ On the trip up to the lake we were treated by a few Amish in their buggies. One in particular was downright friendly and thankful we were driving slowly around him.   See his friendly wave! ~~~ The minute we arrived at the lake, Dennis stopped in to one of his favorite bait shops. I managed a few photos. This was my favorite: ~~~ While waiting for him, I was also graced by a sweet kitty in the parking lot.   His eyes were so pretty. I didn't get a good photo of them. Hopefully he will be there next time and I can catch his pretty eyes! He was friendly though! All in all, this was a friendly, warm spring...