Sutherland Shire Art Society

Outdoor Painting

Balmoral Beach Wed 12 May 2010.
Eight of us had a wonderful day painting and chatting at this historic site where the Australian Impressionist painters such as Streeton, McCubbin, Roberts, and Gruner etc painted early in the nineteenth century.
From left to right: Joy, Marcia, Noel K, Noel C, Janette, Robyn, Michael and Des.
This outing involved Oatley 101 Art Soc, Southern Cross Art Group and Sutherland Shire Art Society.We all have many photos from which to create some good paintings. The trip by train, ferry and bus (all for $2.50) was a relaxed way to travel.

We paint outdoors on the second Wednesday of each month at various venues.However, if there is a workshop on the Wednesday (three times a year) or the weather is inclement the outdoor painting moves to the Friday.We go to rivers, beaches, parks, and streets e.g. Cronulla Mall. Arrive at about 10am and finish about 1pm or 2pm. Or, hey – it’s a free world - you can come and go whenever you like!

We always stop for a morning tea break and lunch. You can bring your own, or if we are near shops, you might want to buy it.

The whole thing is to be relaxed and do what you want. We paint, chat, help each other and enjoy being in a safe environment outdoors. It’s a bit hard to paint out on your own these days so the safety of a group is great.

Some great artist said, “one second of plein air painting is worth a thousand years in the studio”. Bit of an exaggeration, but he was making the point that it is important to go out there and capture the light. You learn so much and enliven your paintings.

PLEIN AIR PROGRAM 2010

For any enquiries re this activity contact Noel Carrigg on 8544-8286 or M: 0409 840 005

DATE	LOCATION	DIRECTIONS	SUBJECT
WED. FEBRUARY 10	Marton Park, Kurnell	Behind the park, along the walkway	Wetlands with birdlife.
FRIDAY MARCH 12	St George Motor Boat Club	Parkland to the right of the club.Wellington St/Vista St Sans Souci	Water, bridge, boats and other local scenes.
WED. APRIL 14	Cronulla Beach	On the promenade near the art deco surf club	Great scenes looking north and south, or a more intimate study of the local flora.
WED. MAY 12	Balmoral Beach	Meet at Mortdale Railway Station at 9am. Train, 2nd last carriage, to Circular Quay, ferry to the Zoo and bus to Balmoral. For seniors this is a total cost of $2.50.	This is for the adventurous but should be a great day out.
FRI JUNE 11	Como Marina	Near the boatshed	Views of the bridge, boats, a dry dock and of course water scenes.
WED. JULY 14	Swallow Rock	Near the boat ramp in Swallow Rock Reserve off Swallow Rock Drive, Grays Point	River views
WED. AUGUST 11	Oatley Park	Enter from Oatley Park Ave, meet at "The Castle" near the baths.	River views, sandy beach, distant view of Como Bridge, forest.
WED. SEPTEMBER 8	Darook Park, Cronulla	Meet near the Fisheries Research Institute. Enter from Nicholson Pde or other streets.	River, boats, beach, headlands
WED. OCTOBER 13	Stanwell Tops	Go through National Park and follow coast road or you can go through Helensburgh then travel east.	Ocean panorama, headlands, hang-gliders if windy
WED. NOVEMBER 10	Behind the Camellia gardens.	Meet in the lower carpark.	Bay, boats, forest, waterfront cottages.

Some tips for ‘Plein Air’ painters

You’ll need:

All your equipment whether oils, acrylics, watercolour, pastel, pencil or other. They all work.
Clothing appropriate for the weather conditions anticipated – a warm coat in winter and a warm hat as you lose a lot of warmth through your head and a hat makes a big difference.
Generally a broad brimmed hat is recommended on hot or glary days as it helps protect against skin cancer and protects the eyes from glare.
Sunscreen
Insect repellent for those pesky flies.
A raincoat or umbrella if there is a chance of rain. There is nothing worse than getting drenched.
A French Easel or tripod is essential for painting. If you are sketching or doing water colour you will want to bring a chair.
A thermos, morning tea and lunch are essential to keep up your energy.
Water-bottle
Your camera is important if you wish to finish off your work at home. Also, you may see other scenes you will want to paint later.
A mobile phone is useful for meeting up and for safety.
Soap or hand cleaner and towel so you don’t get those paint fingerprints on your car.
A chair and perhaps a trolley to cart all your gear, which doubles as a table of sorts.
Something in which to place the wet canvas so you can carry it home in the car.
While painting keep the sun off your canvas/paper etc and off your palette otherwise when you look at your work back at home it will be subdued in intensity. So paint in the shade of a tree if possible.