Getting to Know the Artist
Painting outside on location, Jodie works to find the perfect blend of colors to communicate the feeling of the surrounding nature. It’s called plein air painting.
Like the nostalgic feel of some far-off memory, painting plein air brings a direct connection to the places you love and those you’ve yet to see.
Encased by the beauties of the landscape, she paints her favorite views, communicating a story of strength, boldness, and gentleness. The art comes to life and enables you to bring the cherished view home.
Painting the Sonoran Desert
A day painting with Jodie –
As soon as I arrived, my hostess (a local of over thirty years) took me out to scout the surrounding Santa Rosa Mountains. At first, I was hesitant. The environment felt unrelatable, bland, dull. However, as she shared her enthusiasm for the views, I began to experience the beauty of the area through her eyes.
I soon realized the remote, humble environment had a subtle elegance that came alive as I played with the colors. What a breakthrough!
It’s been a long time since I’ve last painted like this. The focus here was on the rocks and the interaction of the colors in this unique palette. It was a paintbrush painting, compared to my more regular use of a palette knife. The strokes followed the shape of the form: the deep crevices, the line of the sand dunes, the jagged peaks. The desert embraced a wide palette of purples, magenta, and Prussian blue with some touches of orange, hardly seen elsewhere.
In this painting, I used a 1:2 approach: load the brush up with paint, apply one or two strokes, then go back and get more paint. It kept the color lively and prevented it from getting muddy, while allowing for the interplay of colors. This was a technique I picked up from another plein air painter.
Through the drive-by compliments, and golf carts of families, or evening dog-walkers stopping to chat, I felt the local gratitude for painting something that they cherish and love so deeply.
