Painting in the Mountains of North Carolina

View From Guest House, Wildacres, Oil on canvas, 10 in. x 8 in.

This was one of my first attempts during the plein air workshop I took at Ringling Wildacres in North Carolina. I started drawing and painting this view from behind the guest house on a grey, foggy morning, stopped to go to lunch, and came back to a totally changed scene. The sun had come out and most of the clouds were gone. My easel and supplies were in the full sun. I painted for short stretches, and took breaks in the shade. The temperature was a lot more bearable than what I had left behind in Florida, but the sun was still very strong in the middle of the afternoon. The changing light is part of the challenge of plein air painting. The more I practice painting on site the faster I can paint. For more plein air paintings visit my website at Sharon Guy Art.