The Salvation of Shade for the Plein Air Painter

Workshop participant Kim Owens plein air painting in the shade.

I love this photo taken during my Plein Air Painting workshop this past June, because it evokes a sense of creative solitude that is like a meditation for the plein air painter. Fortunately, Kim found the best of all worlds: a great view and some serious shade. Despite the heat, the shade is significantly cooling in Tuscany as are the afternoon breezes at Spannocchia. She actually sitting in a grove of olive trees.