There’s nothing like getting out there and capturing reality in paint on site but plein air painting does come with some drawbacks…

painting in oil plein air landscape sketch andy dolphin

These little critters decided to pay me a visit, en masse,  and were apparently very fond of my half-finished – and still very wet – oil painting. They liked to bite too!

They seemed to be mostly attracted to the brighter paint in the finished sky so I left them to it and picked them out when I got home. There was no time to waste on site messing with midges, the light was changing fast and there was a lot happening in this scene.

Here’s the finished painting, complete with midges. Don’t forget to click the images for a bigger pic.

painting in oil plein air sketch andy dolphin
(Plein air “Stirlings from Mt Barker” – with midges. 20x24cm oil on panel. © 2010, Andy Dolphin)