Painting palms

Three Palms for Gail • © 2011 Karen Lynn Ingalls

I've just returned from a one-week trip to the California desert.... Although I spent most of my time photographing, I did manage to squeeze in a little plein air painting time.

The light changes quickly as you paint outdoors, especially in early morning or late afternoon. The best solutions are to work quickly, paint small, and at some point commit yourself to a certain light and stick with it (a good memory is very helpful).

The finished painting on the easel, after the sun has gone down (the palm trees are out of the picture, to the right)

I painted these three palm trees in late afternoon light, at the top of Racquet Canyon Road, in Palm Springs.