DON'T MESS UP - How I Start a Plein Air Painting

I'm excited to share some of my thoughts and process as an artist and landscape painter. Earlier this fall, I took a road trip to the Southwest to paint for a few weeks. This was painted along Highway 89, in Southern Utah.
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#landscapepainting #oilpainting #pleinairpainting #art #painting #paintingtutorial

[@dixonliji2924]

It would be a good idea to paint the seven wonders of the world in seven days.

[@bethscanlon7791]

It’s interesting to see your set up for bigger paintings on location. Great content as always!

[@patrickokra]

Thank you Beth!

[@nancytipton2640]

Love your no nonsense narrative and your sharing of your painting process. This is the first video of yours I have seen and I truly thank you for sharing.😊

[@patrickokra]

Thank you so much!

[@ironfistarrival]

You very Welcome .

[@patkto8382]

Great video, I want more 😀

[@patrickokra]

Thank you so much! I’ll be making more in the future!

[@ecornejoart]

Nice seeing you here on YT, Patrick!! 🙌🏼

[@patrickokra]

Hey, thanks!

[@Maywyn]

Love the direct narrative, no distractions, just telling what you are doing. And, the sound is good. The background music, I prefer none. Overall, good instruction video. Thank you!

[@patrickokra]

Awesome, thank you!

[@dedrickhill2238]

Awesome video Patrick! I’ve been following on IG for a while and I really enjoy your work. I’m not sure if you’re looking for suggestions, but I think a 10 -15 second intro thats consistent on all of your videos would be really cool right after you say what the video is mainly about. Other than that, you broke down your process and delivered the info amazingly. I’m looking forward to future vids!

[@patrickokra]

Thanks man- appreciate you checking out the vid! This was the first time I ever edited a video together like this, so hopefully I’ll be adding a little more professionalism as I go! 🙌 thanks for the thoughts

[@Morgane.de.Back25]

I just found your channel ! It’s brilliant , keep going ❤

[@patrickokra]

Thank you so much!

[@zigzag2162]

Amazing 👏👏👏

[@patrickokra]

Thank you! 😄

[@rukiyeart]

I find these videos always so helpful. Thank you Patrik! Looks amazing

[@patrickokra]

Thank you!! 🙌

[@brandonmagnus4414]

That’s an awesome painting!

[@patrickokra]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@msartrulz4500]

Very nice video. You rocked it lol

[@patrickokra]

Thank you! :D

[@Blick_Art]

Yes, excellent! Sequence of application is very important to results in a painting, especially working alla prima when there won't be any subsequent sessions. Having some logic behind how you apply the paint can also be a response to the processes of nature, or physics in the landscape, like the traditional approach of painting shadows thinly, and direct light thickly. Nice! We'd be interested to know what paints you used on this!

[@patrickokra]

Ayyyyy shout out to the Paramus NJ Blick-It’s my go to! Mostly Gamblin, wish you guys carried Michael Harding in that location though!

[@elizabethkellerman969]

Super happy to see this video. Enjoyed seeing your work in Sedona a few months back and in other places. I think you have alot to say, my only albeit unsolicited suggestion is that your narration should slow down a bit, allow pauses between your thoughts for it to sink in. There is so much you have to share. Really appreciate your video and enjoy hearing your thoughts. Also what a fleeting moment/light you captured! Thank you for this video!

[@patrickokra]

Thank you so much! I will try to work on the pacing going forward, appreciate your comment!

[@Blandde_Arts]

Bukit bebatuan yg indah. Good art work dude......👍🏻👍🏻🌹☕🇮🇩...

[@patrickokra]

Thank you man! 🙌🙏

[@GeraldinepaolaParragutierrez]

Hermoso paisaje siempre he soñado en pintar en un lugar asi

[@patrickokra]

Thanks!

[@claireseyeviewonredbubble]

Thank you

[@patrickokra]

🙌

[@AlexKellyArtUK]

😎 haven’t seen anyone using a Gloucester easel in a while, I think it was Stapleton Kearns who I saw was using one for plein air years ago. I was a unable to purchase one here in the UK so I started making plan to build one myself but never did get past the planning stage! Anyway great painting. Looking at your subject I would be concerned about the very ‘flat light’ as it can make grouping values correctly into light and dark tricky but you did great. I was thinking if I was going to tackle such a subject I would be really trying to interpret the sculptural aspects of the planes in relation to the light as the shadows seem quite subtle in the video. You mentioned that toward the end of the video. 🙌🏻

[@patrickokra]

Stape was actually the first painter I ever took a workshop with (his infamous/dreaded Snowcamp) and inspired me to go to an academy! Had some convincing from Leo Mancini-Hresko too, they’re still fairly popular among New England Landscape painters I guess! Thank you🙏

[@genewesley7297]

I studied in Gloucester Massachussetts in the early 80's, Back then I don't recall there being a Gloucester easle, But instead it was the Anderson easle, the original and exact same easle. Have it to this day 40 some years later and still using it.

[@ellustratiom]

Fantastic work, Patrick! Although my cat must not be the biggest fan, cause she smacked my phone and changed the video halfway through -_-

[@patrickokra]

HA, oh nooooooooo 😂 Thank you Emily!!

[@janemesh1701]

Loved this. What's the music you used in this video? First half especially. It's so neat!

[@patrickokra]

Thank you! Not sure, it’s through epidemic sound

Nice video - the music gets a bit distracting though.

[@jefflivinginthephilippines]

Hi Richard, I came across your channel yesterday and subscribed. I'm a self taught amature artist and spending more time on the hobby now that I am retired. I love your work but have a couple of questions. Are you using oil paint? I assume yes as acrylic would dry up quickly in the Aussie sun and How much paint do you go through as your pallet is full of the stuff?? what is the brand and do you buy bulk. You have probably been asked these questions before no doubt.

[@patrickokra]

thanks - i don't go through too much, I would say I use a medium amount of paint. My preferred brand for quality and price is Gamblin

[@HA-fl6we]

Do you ever go closer to the mountain to see if you have the right colour? I feel like that’s what I would constantly be doing 😅

[@patrickokra]

painting is all about how color looks from a single point of view and light

[@aidanbarkerhill6281]

omg love this, buy a drone camera haha

[@patrickokra]

Hahahh thanks so much bro! For a drone I’d need a license though 🥺

[@thomasgariepy6396]

Maybe it’s just because I’m so new to oil painting, but how do you do all of this without making a huge mess? are you cleaning your brushes between colors or using one brush per some range of colors? If you don’t use solvents, how do you clean your pallet at the end? All of these details keep me from going out and painting plein air! Any input would be appreciated, but maybe it’s info I can find elsewhere. Thanks either way! I enjoy your videos and your work!

[@patrickokra]

Thanks for the question- to try to answer that, I don’t clean my brushes but I just mix into the next colors. I try to stay organized and not mix dark and light brushes, red and green brushes etc. At the end of the day I clean my palette by scraping the excess paint off, and using a paper towel to wipe it down. That makes a nice patina on wooden palettes. It’s important to stay neat though, especially if you are using paints with heavy metals like cadmium or lead

[@captainnolan5062]

Seems like the composition should come before the drawing. See @ 3:09

[@patrickokra]

Sort of. You need to be able to draw to compose, but you need to compose to draw

[@alphashanahan4323]

I played it over and over but i couldn’t understand what you were saying. What is that easel called?

[@patrickokra]

It’s called a “TakeitEasel” that’s the brand. It’s a Gloucester style easel, from New England in the US!

[@alphashanahan4323]

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. Much appreciated!

[@patrickokra]

My pleasure!

[@JGalegria]

daunting scene to paint on location - the perspective would be tricky! hey anyway couldn't you have walked around to a spot away from the road? I can't stand being near a busy road besides the fumes a car could skid off and smash you to oblivion - that would be totally random i know but i once knew a woman whose two year old daughter was hit by a car that ran up the sidewalk. she survived but what an ordeal.

[@patrickokra]

Thanks- I was actually standing about 20-30 feet from the road in some sort of lot. I agree though, I would avoid standing right on a highway shoulder

[@tommyeatough8855]

Rubbish could we see the painting finished

[@patrickokra]

Sadly I never finished this one, it's lying in a stack somewhere in my studio