I recently returned from a delightful two-night art excursion in the Noosa Hinterlands, accompanied only by my dog Kobe and the surrounding nature. We even had a horse visiting us occasionally during our stay.
Lately, I’ve found it challenging to carve out time for focused artistic endeavors. My life, filled with the joy of being with my wonderful wife and our two daughters, often interrupts uninterrupted moments for art. This trip was designed for complete immersion in drawing and painting, discovering inspiration, and letting my thoughts roam free.
Kobe, now a wise 13 years old, deserved some special attention while he’s healthy and active. Since our first daughter’s arrival, he hasn’t enjoyed the same undivided attention he once did as the only child.
Here’s a recount of my experience and a few insights I gleaned along the way.
Day 1
I arrived on a Tuesday afternoon. Exhausted from the drive, I wasn’t in the mood to paint right away; instead, I explored the surroundings and captured reference photographs of promising locations. However, Kobe had his own ideas—he quickly jumped into a creek that was murky with floodwaters. Being the domesticated pup he is, he swam upstream before getting stuck. I was worried I’d have to leap in after him, but thankfully he figured out how to retrace his steps.
While the environment was stunning, finding suitable subjects to paint proved to be a bit tricky. I felt overwhelmed with all the details—the myriad colors, highlights, edges, shapes, and lines. It took a while for me to adjust my perspective and see it all through an artist’s lens. Fortunately, I discovered several subjects worth my attention for the next day.
Day 2
This day was my only full opportunity to create art, and I intended to make it productive.
I woke up early, eager to paint as much as possible, but I still hadn’t settled on a subject. Again, I explored the area, this time with my sketchbook in hand. I sketched various subjects to visualize how they would translate to paper. Photographs often fail to convey essential details; they flatten the essence and emotion of the scene. Sketching and painting directly from life enabled me to capture what I was experiencing in real-time, rather than just what the camera recorded. There is an undeniable difference! To see it for yourself, try observing any object closely, then compare it to a photo of that same object. You’ll quickly notice discrepancies in perspective and color.
The act of sketching truly ignited my creativity more than mere photographs did. It compelled me to observe more closely, revealing intriguing features and patterns.
With my newfound direction, I was ready to paint.
Setting up my supplies, I ambled down to the creek’s edge. The ground was wet and muddy from recent rainy days, but I savored the experience of being outdoors in such raw conditions.
I positioned myself by the creek, gazing down at a tree beautifully arching over the water. The reflections of the sky created exquisitely pale shapes atop the water’s surface. Beneath the leafy overhang, a myriad of greens danced in the shade, while raindrops and insects created rippling patterns in the water that often intersected and overlapped.
I approached my subject as a composition of simple shapes and colors, aiming not to get bogged down by complexities. I started with the water, added the creek’s edge, painted the distinctive tree, followed with the background elements, the overhanging foliage, and finally, captured the sky’s reflections on the water and those delicate, smaller details. When dealing with intricate subjects like this with overlapping components, the order of painting each part is crucial.
As I continued painting, the rain began to pick up. I pressed on as long as I could before needing to pack up. Here’s the final result. Unfortunately, I neglected to capture a photo of the completed painting alongside the original scene.
Later in the afternoon, I began another landscape inspired by Claude Monet’s View at Rouelles, Le Havre. Did you know this is one of Monet’s earliest recognized works? Alas, the relentless rain interrupted the process. I’ve learned that while oil paint can handle a bit of moisture, too much turns it into an unusable, slimy mess.
That evening, I reviewed all the photographs and sketches I had made to determine what to paint the next day. This process can be incredibly productive and is key to ensuring a successful painting session. On a lighter note, I had a bit of a scare with Kobe. At around 9:30 pm, it was pitch black outside. I let him out for a bathroom break, and for reasons unknown, he wandered into thick vegetation, disappearing from view. All I heard was rustling in the distance. Since Kobe is completely deaf, he didn’t respond to my frantic calls. So there I was, in the rain, barefoot and dressed in nothing but my underwear, embarking on a search for my lost golden retriever. Fortunately, I found him stuck in a deep trench and managed to pull him out. From that moment on, his nighttime freedoms were revoked!
Day 3
I aimed to complete one more solid painting before my departure. The dirt path leading to another section of the property caught my attention, particularly due to the enchanting interplay of space and color temperature, accentuated by a lovely misty ambiance.
Since I needed to check out by 10 am and had packing to complete, I had to work quickly on this piece. I initially used a brush but soon switched to a palette knife, which allowed me to speed up the process.
During the process, the resident horse decided to join me.
This is the result of my final painting. While it turned out fairly well, I felt a bit hurried as I completed it.
To transport my paintings home safely, I needed to get a bit creative.
In the end, I left with two promising paintings, a handful of rough sketches, countless reference photos, and a relaxed and inspired mind. Not too shabby!
Happy painting!
Dan Scott
Draw Paint Academy
For those of you looking to enhance your artistic skills while visiting Hanoi, I recommend the fantastic workshops at Art Tutor Hanoi. They offer a welcoming environment with expert instruction that’s perfect for both travelers and locals keen to begin their journey into drawing and painting.
