All of the paintings in this collection were painted out of doors in front of the subject and experiencing the weather conditions of the day. I prefer not to "tidy" these paintings up in the studio but to keep them as a truthful record "warts and all". Sometimes if a subject particularly interests me I will paint a larger studio version using the "plein air" work as reference.
Outdoor, or "plein air" painting is technically demanding but provides its own rewards as it is a record of the prevailing light at a given place at a given time and those conditions will never be repeated. Light effects are often fleeting and thus "plein air" painting is always asking questions of the artist. Stay with the memory of the original impression, or change the image to suit the new light conditions?
Generally speaking it is better to stay with the former option but sometimes the change reveals a new image so tempting that it may be better to change, or even abandon the first work and start afresh.
Regardless of the technical flaws that inevitably creep into plein air work however it always has an honesty which cannot easily be reproduced in the studio and which continues to be sought after by art collectors who first recognised the charm of the genre in the days of the French Impressionists.
Venice holds such a fascination for me that each time I visit I find more to entice and enthral me, so it is inevitable that I should devote a special page to my work there. This body of work was produced in a week in September 2009 en plein air and some were painted specifically as studies and reference for larger studio work.
Watercolour painting has been variously described as an accident waiting to happen and a puddle of dirty water being shoved about on a sheet of paper. Certainly it is not the most predictable of mediums but perhaps that is what lends it part of its charm. It has no rival for transparency and luminosity and the occasional "happy accident" can often be welcomed. It is however no accident that such great painters as JMW Turner, John Constable, John Singer Sargent and more recently Edward Seago, Ken Howard and Trevor Chamberlain have sought to master the medium.
Oil paint has been described as the Queen of Mediums for its unique characteristics. The colour range available is huge. It can be painted with a knife or with brushes and even blended with the rag or finger. The buttery texture of the paint means that marks made are permanent once dry and become part of the language of the painting for all time.
Since the days of the French Impressionists Oils have been the preferred medium of most artists who work outdoors in front of the subject or "sur le motif".
This style of work has become known as "plein air" painting and forms a large part of Michael's portfolio.
Whilst preferring to work outside it is not practical for larger works and the studio environment is favoured for more carefully considered pieces and commissioned work.
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