Indianapolis Museum of Art-The Garden Terrace

These are progressions of a plein air session November 4 2008, under the tutorship of Jerry Points of the Stutz Artists Association. These plein air classes are organized by the Stutz Artspace.

With Jerry's guidance, all participants improved their technique, color management skills and compositional awareness, while still having fun!

Jerry's website is jerrypoints.com and his new blog is jerrypointspaintings.com

The top three images are of a painting just completed, based upon a plein air sketch, made some forty years back. This and some other sketches and photos will be the subject of a new group of paintings that will go on my website (mylesmurphyartist.com) in the coming weeks.

Sometimes it is hard (for me) to explain exactly what catches my eye, while wandering about enjoying the fresh shoreline environment while looking for painting material. I think, in this case, it was the shape and texture of the breakwater with the lushness of the sand dune looming above.

I had difficulty with values creating this picture and, even now, in its finished state, it does not have the contrast as in the photo taken at the time the sketch was made.

Rosslare Strand, Wexford, Ireland

With great temerity, I am starting this blogspot, being a complete rookie to the process. I guess the whole truth is also that, for my generation (look at the ID photo!), this is not a "natural" process, but something I associate with the generations after mine (two?).

Anyway, here's hoping the process gets easier. Get me in a room with a bunch of artists-especially over a glass of wine-or whatever beverage is at hand, and I am ready for discussion. I hope I get some feedback.

As a start, I am going to post a few recent paintings, with the process as recorded in stages of progress. I will also explain why the piece was created-what attracted me and what problems I experienced in the process.