This September, I got to participate in my first plein air painting competition. It was the Carmel on Canvas event in Carmel Indiana, and what a blast it was! My friend Haley, who is a talented artist here in Indiana, invited me to come and paint with her.
Here's how the day went - we arrived at the location in the morning to get our canvases stamped (so that judges could assure they were painted that day!) and then we were able to choose whatever we wanted to paint within a specific radius in Carmel. We chose a spot near some store fronts in the Carmel Arts District, I was drawn to some yellow cafe umbrellas and thought they would make a beautiful painting. We lucked out with some great weather, and spent about 5 hours painting.
Aaaand here's us with our finished paintings! It was such a fun day getting to spend time with a friends while creating something beautiful. I can't wait to participate next year, and will look into more of these competitions to participate in throughout the year!
If you want to see more of the process, I made a video showing the progression of the painting! You can check that out on my instagram (@watercolor.with.emily) and you can go check out Haley's art page here (@lostandfound.collection)
Thanks for being here!
Love,
Emily Winslow