Day at the beach

Sunday was a long, sunny and warm, productive day at the beach on Sauvie Island for Scott Gellatly's plein air workshop.  We had informative talks and demonstrations and plenty of painting time at this private residence on the Columbia River.  I brought two 12" x 16" canvases, the first divided into four parts for thumbnail studies as an aid to select a view to develop a larger painting. Doing several studies also focused attention on the way light changes through time.  I especially concentrated on the warm hazy sky colors, and later in the afternoon clouds appeared on a darker blue sky.  I experimented with oil paints and a new gel medium from Gamblin that works well on a plein air palette.  Loved the slow drying flow of oils compared to acrylics, but hated the bits of debris that get stuck in the wet paint!