Plein Aire Painting of the Bridge Arch at Ellicott City

The Paint it Ellicott City event is one of the most enjoyable things I do all year. You get to go to the romantic and historic old town of Ellicott City, MD and paint pictures of the scenes with other artists. Afterword everybody gets together for a reception and art sale at the Howard County Art Center.

The people of Ellicott City are the nicest people, they are friendly, helpful and understanding.

Many artists create two, three or more pictures each day, but this time I got unusually involved in my projects and finished only two paintings.  One of a street scene, and one of the views of the bridge at the lower end of town.

Paintings done in Plein Aire are spontaneous, fresher, and more robust, which engages the viewer.
Below is the picture of the River Bridge. I worked on it for three days in the afternoon of each day.

To paint it, I climbed down to the river. It was nice and cool there because of the shade. This was a quiet place and easy to concentrate.

In my painting, I wanted to balance the background as viewed through the arch and above it with the foreground. I was careful that the shadows and dark reflections in the water didn't make the picture too dark, this meant spending longer on the background than most people would. The many textures were enjoyable to do and give the painting a lot of life. I liked the balance of the lights and darks.

The crazy thing about the picture is the grey-blue pump tank; you look at it and say, "what is that strange thing in this beautiful place?" But that gives the picture a story or message, that contrasts are all around us, and we need to understand them.

All the colors in this picture are very exciting. My palate changed from one blend of colors to a different one many times. The red of the iron of the bridge is a wonderful color, even though it was hard to mix just right.

Plein Aire Painting of the Arched Bridge at the end of Ellicott City

This painting is still available for sale at my Etsy shop, CLICK HERE to see pricing and information..
You can purchase prints and merchandise like greeting cards at my Society6 store CLICK HERE. to see prints, greeting cards, and more.

I am very happy with the outcome
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Painting Plein Aire in Ellicott City MD

The Paint it Ellicott City Plein Aire event is one of the most fun things I do all year.

It is not an understatement to say that I look forward to it all year long. This year I painted two pictures.

Below is a picture I did while standing on the sidewalk by the B and O Railroad Museum at the lower end of Ellicott City. I found a little nook just off the sidewalk where my easel would not be in anyone's way.  I started this picture on Friday and returned both Saturday and Sunday to work on it, which is unusual for a Plein Aire piece since most are completed in one afternoon. The reason for the long amount of time on this picture is the size, it is a little large since it measured 20x16. Also, since I was working in acrylic, I was slowed considerably by the medium drying on the palate because it was such a hot day.   

Working in the sun is difficult since your eyes will adjust to the brightness and then you mix your paint too dull. But this time I feel that my paintings turned out nicely. The street scene may have been too ambitious, but in the end, I accomplished what I want. I like how the scene leads up to the hills in the background.

As usual, all the artist who came by to look were nice and said encouraging things. The artist who participate in this event are a great group. I like how everyone looks out for each other.

My paintings were displayed on Monday at the reception at the Howard County Art Center.  I received many compliments and more encouragement.  Most of the artists offer their paintings for sale, and I often have a sale, but the sales were slow this year. I'll list my paintings at my Etsy store.

Plein Aire Painting of Street in front of the B and O Railroad Ellicott City, 2019

If you would like to see more views of this painting and learn about how to purchase it visit my Etsy Shop. CLICK HERE.

Thank you for stopping by.

© Adron 2019