Diana K. Gibson

Some quick tips that I offer to my students in regard to creating further distance in their landscape paintings are as follows: COMPOSITION: *Look for the ellipses in the landscape and translate them upon the canvas. The ellipses help to create movement and draws the viewers' eye through the picture. *Be aware of scale and perspective. Contrast and compare the shape and scale of the objects. Things get smaller as they recede into the distance. Think about how much of the sky will appear in the picture. By merely raising or lowering the horizon line, one can shift the perspective creating more or less depth within the painting. *Be cognizant of any kind of repetition that maybe occurring within the painting. We may sometimes be unaware of the consistent repetitive shapes or equally spaced out items we are creating. Shapes and spacing are quite varied in nature and are not as systematic as we sometimes unconsciously portray them. Constantly observe, compare your work to the ...

Above are pictures depicting mixing colors. These colors were pre-mixed with the intent to paint a sunrise. The palette was prepared the night before and a dark toned panel was selected. My gear was readied and awaited the morning. The start to my day went a little differently than planned. At 4:30 AM the house woke to two cats hissing and growling outside in the yard below. Being up earlier than planned afforded time to watch the very early dawn of the day. The sky was still dark but there were tell tale signs that the sun was soon to rise. Quick preparations and a short walk down the road, my gear was set up and I stood waiting for the magical moment for when the sun would break over the horizon. Knowing speed is critical for painting a sunrise, the land masses were massed in and I anticipated the sky to burst into color. I glanced over my shoulder to track the progress of the sun in the sky when I noticed a cloud bank moving up towards the sun. In the distance a large bank ...

Getting outside to paint en plein aire this summer has really been a challenge since the majority of this summer has been subject to much heavy rainfall. This piece was actually started on a misty rainy day and was worked on over a period of a few days. In the past my plein aire work was completed in one session however lately I have taken a different approach and have started to work on the same piece over a span of a few days. That means I start a picture and then return to the same site at the same time of day under the same lighting conditions until I consider the painting finished. This new approach has been beneficial for me because I have learned considerably more through intensive direct observation. I have also taken a new approach in modifying my palette in hopes to create more saturated naturalistic vibrant colors.

This still life is currently in progress and it is my first endeavor to truly break away and do something quite different from my past work. Instead of pounding away at a piece and trying to finish it alla prima, I have slowed down considerably on this one and have taken much more time to analyze the subject and painting. The finished painting turned out pretty well if I may say so myself. :)

Ever become a tasty snack for a swarm of hungry biting insects and wish you had some bug spray? Ouch! How about having a sopping brush and realizing you forgot your roll of towels or rags or better yet you set up your pochade box and go for your paints only to realize you left them next to your easel at home? Maybe some of you are nodding your head and chuckling and know too well what I am relating. Sometimes forgetting supplies can be just down right frustrating though the forgetfulness does make for some good jokes and story telling. But the lack of efficiency can take away from constructive painting time, which is no joke. Through years of plein air painting experience I have learned to carry some extra supplies on hand because I have had those days where I in my haste I forgot something at the house or left it along the side of the driveway. So to prepare for those inevitable opps duh moments, I keep the following plein air staples in the trunk of my car: Bug repellant (seasona...

Well it has been a little while since I participated in the Cranford Artist Studio Tour and it would be remiss of me not to chat about my experience! I must say I had an awesome time! Many cheerful and supportive patrons of the arts poured out onto the streets to check out what Cranford had to offer. The drizzly rain did not hinder the fans of the fine arts nor we visiting plein air painters! Myself and Eleinne Basa were the plein air painters demonstrating plein air painting techniques, explaining about the easels we used, the colors on our palettes, and explaining exactly what is plein air painting, etc. I was absolutely delighted to meet the public and to meet fellow artists. I was extremely touched by the support of my students who showed up and remained with me for the entirety of the event. There was an energy that was positive and supportive and the buzz that was created from this event left me feeling very happy. I would like to recognize Deborah Leber and Paul Casale fo...