August 12,2021 PleinAir and UnpleinAir

Well, We drove up to the Sierras last week , and my intention was to spend a week, and paint at least 7 Plein Air paintings. Unfortunately several wildfires in Northern California and smoke continue to cause the air quality levels to be unhealthy. I painted one evening in clear air and the next morning the smoke rolled in. We decided to leave and returned to our home in the Monterey Bay Area, where fortunately it was clear. Here is my unfinished mountain scene as it sat on the easel, and a finished Monterey Bay Plein Air painting I did yesterday with my MBPAPA group of painter.

Published by Al Shamble

I have been drawing for as long as I can remember. I have a minor in Visual Arts from UCSD where I received my BA in Biology. I am inspired by Nature and love hiking in California's Sierra Nevada and diving beneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean. I enjoy the interplay of painting Plein Air, being an outdoor photographer, and creating paintings in the studio.

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  1. I like them both. Perhaps you could keep the “unfinished” mountain scene just the way it is to recall the moment with all that horrible smoke. It evokes the dreadful state of our fire scarred Sierras!