Nancy's Plein Air Painting Adventure

I am thrilled that Mike Rooney and Ben Keys have joined our family of artists at Spectrum Art & Jewelry, and I mean that sincerely when I say "family" - it is rare to find a working environment as supportive as Spectrum.

Last week my husband, Russ and I were on vacation at Wrightsville Beach and I invited Mike and Ben to come join me in some plein air painting. We had a wonderful day - painting on the sound side of Banks Channel in the morning, going out for a delicious lunch at Baja K-38 (love their fish tacos!) and an afternoon painting a cute yellow cottage at Sprunt and Lumina.

Each artist sees something different and our afternoon session had us all painting the same cottage - but from different angles and viewpoints. There was an old Cadillac in the driveway and Mike and Ben loved adding it to their composition. I decided to do a close-up color blocking of the cottage - Ben said it reminded him of a Hopper - loved that comparison!

Last month Kristin Gibson, Ann Hair, Phil Meade and I went to Carolina Beach to paint from the north end's new boat ramp and park. It's great to get outside, have the fellowship and critique of other artists and change your surroundings. You see things in a totally new way. I normally paint in my studio, and braving the elements (especially this heat) is at times hard...but always rewarding.

After lunch with Mike and Ben I was thinking about going up for a nap...but the guys convinced me to join them for an afternoon painting session. Glad I did, I was happy with the results and Mike told me I passed the plein air test and could paint with him anytime...thanks Mike!

It was so much fun to spend time with Mike and Ben and get to know them better, I've added two new dear friends - and you can never have too many of them.

If you want to experience plein air painting at its' finest...join us October 12th & 13th for
"Loose and Colorful Plein Air Painting with Mike Rooney"

contact me at the gallery for more information
nancy@spectrumartandjewelry.com

Paint on,
Nancy Noel May

Below are photographs of each artist and their plein air paintings from the day. It is so interesting to see how different each artists painting of the cottage turned out!

Nancy Noel May

Morning plein air painting
across Banks Channel

Afternoon plein air painting
of Sprunt Cottage

Ben Keys

Morning plein air painting
at Hanover Seaside Club

Afternoon plein air painting
of Sprunt Cottage

Mike Rooney

Morning plein air painting
at Wrighstville beach

Afternoon plein air painting
of Sprunt Cottage

Taylor