Morning on the Little Manatee River

Morning on the Little Manatee River

5" x 7" oil on panel

Last week I spent several days preparing for an upcoming demo I'm doing on plein air painting, going over notes I'd made in my sketchbooks and brushing up on all the wonderful advice in Carlson's Guide to Landscape Painting (Incidentally, I highly recommend that book to anyone interested in the principles and mechanics of painting landscapes.) After 2 days of sitting at my computer, however, by the 3rd day I was absolutely itching to get back outside and paint! So early in the morning I headed over to a lovely spot by a bridge in nearby Ruskin that spans the Little Manatee River and I worked on putting my own knowledge and advice into practice! I did 2 small post card size studies that morning, the first at about 8 am and the second around 10 am. Comparing the two together it's easy to see just how quickly light and conditions can change!