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Wednesday, October 13, 2021. We all got up a little earlier than we would have liked on vacation, but we had a busy day planned for all of us. My wife, her mom, and her friend were touring the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina. I wanted to do more plein air painting.

You may ask why I didn't plein air paint at the Biltmore. After all, it's supposed to be beautiful grounds and they do allow painters on their property to paint. First of all, the ticket to do this is about $90. Second, and more importantly, although they do allow people to plein air paint on their grounds, the artists are not allowed to sell any work done there. Since I planned on putting any paintings I did for sale on my website, it was an easy pass. Besides, I personally prefer painting scenery like mountains and waterfalls over mansions and manicured gardens.

I first decided to go to Log Hollow Falls. On the way, I was greeted with the moist beautiful scenes of the mountains filled at their bases with thick mist and fog. It was breathtaking. I stopped and took some photos for reference for future studio paintings.

When I got to the entrance for the hike to Log Hollow Falls, I realized there was no one else anywhere near around. I don't like to plein air paint in unfamiliar places by myself, especially in areas where I might encounter bears. I changed my mind on my first location choice, and went to nearby Looking Glass Falls. It was a perfect spot. I could park close to the falls and there were plenty of sightseers around.

After taking a few photos for myself, I set up to paint. Every waterfall I've painted in the past was a difficult challenge, and so was Looking Glass Falls. It's difficult to render moving water convincingly. Still, it's the challenge that makes plein air painting fun. If a knifemark didn't work, I would scrape it off and try another. Or maybe I could mix a different color and layer it on top so it covers the layer below. Or better yet, let my new layer blend into the lower layer to make new colors.

I had quite a few people approach me with questions and compliments. I enjoy talking to people and welcome their curiosity to what I'm doing with this equipment at this beautiful attraction. I gave out a lot of business cards, which is always nice. I love when people ask if I have a website so they can see more of my art. I'm always happy to oblige that request. And I'm always flattered that quite a few of them want to take a photo of me working on my painting. Sometimes, they'll ask if they or their kids can pose with me. I always say yes.

Here's my finished painting of Looking Glass Falls. This is an 11" tall by 14" wide oil on panel painted solely with painting knives. 

I packed up and went to nearby Brevard for a quick lunch, then hit an art supply store in Asheville for a couple more panels. I decided to return to the Blue Ridge Parkway to do my second plein air painting, and ended up at the pullout at Chestnut Cove. It was sunny and, like the day before, the clouds made beautiful shadows all over the sides of the mountains. Below is the painting I ended up with. This is also an 11" tall by 14" wide oil on panel painted solely with painting knives. 

4 paintings in 2 days! I didn't think I would be able to get more than 2 or 3 paintings in on my vacation. This was a wonderful surprise. And I still had tomorrow morning free to paint. The rest of my time was planned with excursions with my wife, her mom, and our friend. I'm very happy I was able to make the most of my time outside of that.

After seeing the beautiful mountains filled with mist in the morning, I wondered if I could get a plein air done of them. Tomorrow will tell.