Plein Air Downunder Painting Festival

This painting festival is held in Mandurah Western Australia every year in early spring.

I was one of 150 painters painting around the beautiful waterfront of Mandurah. It was fantastic to have so many interested people watching the art works emerge. I’m really under the pump here with only two hours to produce an art work for the Quick Draw Competition

I love a cloudy sky. Passers by responded positively and many said they loved the moody sky.

I paint on a small board with oil paints and mainly a pallet knife. I love using a pallet knife because it helps me loosen up my work and it creates a lovely blending of textures and colours. Sometimes you can achieve what we call a “happy accident” where the paint and pallet knife work their magic to produce an unexpected positive effect.

Quick Draw painting of the Mandurah Bridge

Day 1 near the marina. Here’s the plein air set up with my pochade box which is a compact box that is designed for painters who paint outdoors or ‘plein air’. The box has a hinged lid that not only serves as a lid to the box, but also supports your painting.

Day 2 in Pinjarra. I’m not a fan of painting buildings but always up for a challenge I painted St Mary’s Church. In the early part of the day the sun hit the rich red of the brick walls which gave them a beautiful glow which contrasted with the cool green of the grass and trees.

Hard at work in Pinjarra. The forcast was for rain but it held off beautifully. There is nothing better than to have the sun on your back and to be lost in a painting.