Summer is not conducive for spending time indoors. Each summer, I tell myself, this time will be different, it will be the summer of boundless productivity, but… it never seems to happen. There are just too many (inviting) distractions.
Summer taunts you as you sit at your easel, glancing out of the window at the cool breeze, the robins and the sunshine that makes twirling leaves sparkle like confetti. Which leads to the present moment: being surrounded by a bunch of half-finished paintings.
I suppose I could also do some plein-air painting (which I have done in the past), but, unfortunately, most of these paintings end up in the paint-over pile, and are usually dotted with the remains of random insects…which isn’t exactly desirable.
So the compromise I’ve made with myself is to use these bright, sunny days to take reference photos for future paintings; photographs that will become useful during those dark winter months when I’ve forgotten what a field of wildflowers look like, or just need some inspiration that doesn’t include feet of white fluff.
Saltwater Birch Studio 