1:22 PM: landscape series 5 was becoming too pretty, plus the composition sucked, so i did a major wipe-down using gamsol, which is far healthier than turpentine. the image looked ghost-like when i was done. then i worked into it, using the 10/29/12 plein air oil you see below as a reference. it was a huge relief, going from that picky, detailed namby-pamby style of working to my familiar whole body sweeping gestural strokes. just when i thought i was finding my note, it switched to something more gut level, primal i could say, which is the feeling i get when i'm out by the creek. i don't know if i have the energy to resume painting plein air in oil this spring. but it's a tempting thought.