Plein Air Painting at Mobile Environmental Studies Center

Yesterday was a busy art day for me. We met at the Environmental Studies Center on Girby Road for plein air painting in the morning. We had seven of us: myself, Missy Patrick, Lydia Host, Mary Elizabeth Kimbrough, Gail Bramer; and two new folks for our group: Marie Nickerson and Ainsley McNeely. Marie had been trying for awhile to join with us, but schedules were a problem until yesterday. Ainsley has started a Lower Alabama Artists Plein Air Group and a Yahoo Group website (pleinairsouth) to try to get some organization together, for group plein air sessions, and future shows and plein air painting trips. Hopefully we get something started here.

Here is my effort to capture the pitcher plant bog at the center. I found it was relatively easy to get the colors and shadows on the paper, but very difficult to capture the essence of thousands, if not millions, of pitcher plants, lilies, orchards and pincushion plants - A bog is so very diverse! Will try to see if I can still do that in the foreground without flubbing it up.

Here also are a few photos from our outing.

Below, Gail is getting up close for some botanical drawings.

Below gives an idea of the diversity of plant material!

Marie enjoys her spot in the shade.

I also made it to Figure Group last night, but will post a drawing later this week.