Plein Air Painting of the River Sienne

Plein air painting is the act of painting outdoors, which the French also call painting "sur le motif." If the weather permits there are many advantages of using this method, and luckily, on the 14th August 2021, the conditions were excellent, with no wind and a clear sky. My daughter Faye came with me that afternoon, and before she left to do some exploring on her bike, she took the following photograph of me, settled at my chosen spot:

On the north bank of the River Sienne near Urville-sur-Mer
Photographed by Faye Walkington on the 14th August 2021 at 15h 12.

The place was on the north bank of the River Sienne, in a salt meadow near the estuary, and it seemed sufficiently far from the madding crowd to avoid distracting interruptions. I had noticed a small tree with an exposed root structure which I thought could be a good 'anchor' for a composition. The advantage of plein air painting comes from the communion with nature, in which we not only see the place, but also feel, hear and even smell it. This intimate contact can, if we are in the mood, contribute positively to the finished work. Here the subject of the watercolour was not extraordinary, but the act of observing and painting it in situ probably improved the result, and certainly left me with some excellent memories:

La Sienne vers Urville-sur-Mer
Plein Air Watercolour, 24 x 33.5 cms, signed WW and dated 2021. Available.

While I was painting, salt meadow sheep would occasionally come to drink water from the river, and from time to time I heard a splash when a fish jumped. Further downstream a group was enjoying a sunny afternoon together, and towards the end of my three-hour stay a solitary fisherman tried his luck in the pools. He told me that some big mullet swam in that stretch, and that they were excellent in barbecues!

Everything went smoothly for me that day, compared to others when problems arise. In a future post I will give some tips for making the most of painting "sur le motif," especially when things get difficult. But whatever the result might be, plein air painting is generally a positive and memorable experience!

To see more watercolours of other Normandy landscapes please refer to the page FR Normandy.