1,000 Easels

Photo by Ayana Dusenberry

Jackson Building 14" x 18" acrylic on canvas 2010

On Sunday September 12, 2010 about 100 artists set up their easels on the sidewalks of downtown Asheville to make their presence known to the city of Asheville. As a participant, I had so much fun meeting people and seeing familiar faces, while working on this painting of The Jackson Building.

Plein Air painting is not something I get the opportunity to do a lot. I had taken a workshop at Penland a few years ago with painter Cassandra James, but this was really the first time I had painted outside since then.

The biggest challenge is capturing the light quickly. Working fast is a good idea, though that was a struggle for me because my paints kept drying out so quickly. I had decided to use acrylic paints because I thought oils would be too fussy. In the end, I was happy with the results. It took a total of 2.5 hours to complete.

The painting is for sale, and proceeds will go towards the Asheville Area Arts Council who sponsored the 1,000 easels event. Contact me for pricing: ursulagullow@gmail.com