Indian River Lagoon

This started out as a Plein Air Painting.  I made modifications to it in the studio as I realized I had not provided a center of interest.  For some reason I get so enraptured with the beauty of nature and trying to capture it all, I lose what I want to say.  I am thinking of lightening my plein air equipment,  Has anyone had success with something small that is easy to fill and store and not too expensive?

Plein Air, Indian River Lagoon, Fl

I was finally able to actually do some plein air today.  My first effort became a toned canvas but I am happy with my second attempt.  It was a glorious day today, a tiny bit of nip in the air.  One of the things I focused on was selecting the site.  I tried to look for spatial clues as Mitchell Albala recommended in his book on "Landscape Painting".  It was helpful to know what to look for such as 1. Volume - clear patterns of light that create a sense of volume that results in differentiation of shapes 2. Scale - i.e. changes in size the suggest one is further back  3. Overlapping - i.e. if  trees in the mid ground or foreground also overlap and overlap the back ground i.e. trees enter the sky in the background and 4.  introduce perspective with a fence in the foreground or perhaps shadows leading the viewer into the background.  He provided thumbnails that visually explained it all.   For a beginner landscaper, it was very helpful to know what to look for.  The next chapter will be on composition.  I am really learning a lot and today's exercise just emphasized how much more I have to learn. Have a great day!