Tom Graves
Tom Graves – Plein Air Painter
When I paint, I try to capture the feeling that inspired me to paint that location. I will try to make the viewer feel the heat or the cold of the day, the brightness of the sunlight, the movement of the water, and the mystery of the distant plains and hills. I consider myself to be first and foremost a painter of light. I love the California sunlight in all of its forms including dazzling light, reflected light and changing of the quality of light over distances and with haze, as well as the feeling that such light is able to inspire. My favorite times of day to paint are early morning or late afternoon, when the light is low. I particularly enjoy the afternoon haze that we get here in Southern California and the way it makes the mountains look. I am still learning to see and appreciate the California landscape, with its many colors and textures.
My favorite area to paint is the Santa Monica Mountains with its vast open areas and parklands. Some frequent painting locations are Sycamore Canyon, Peter Strauss Ranch and Malibu Creek State Park. My favorite time of year to paint is Autumn, when the Sycamore trees turn yellow and orange and the rain turns the grass green. The color of the trees against the deep blue of the California winter sky, the blue-green of the hills, the warm colors of the old grass and bright yellow-green of the new grass is something I will never be tired of.
When I painted on the East Coast, my favorite days to paint were after a snowfall, when the air was clear, the sky was deep blue, and the Earth sparkled.
I always paint with oil paint, no medium, on canvas with flat bristle brushes. All of my painting is done on location, en plein air. I have never been able to paint anything worthwhile from a photograph. My experience painting in snow or fog put me into the habit of working quickly, because fog can vanish in minutes and snow can begin to melt in hours. Because of this, I always attempt to complete each painting on-site in one go, even with large 30"x40" canvases. I put finishing touches on at home in the studio. I like to constantly keep looking at my paintings. Sometimes I will touch up an old painting because I suddenly saw something in it that I didn't see before. For me, no painting is finished until it is sold and away from my eyes.
I have always enjoyed the outdoors. As a child, I spent every available minute outdoors, and as an adult, I continue to do so. When I am not painting, I am usually outdoors hiking or biking.
When I paint, I try to stay off of the beaten path, so that I am not in the way of other hikers or bikers. I have at times perched precariously on rocks or on the edge of roads or steep cliffs to paint a scene that I wanted. Once, I was completely drenched, canvas and all, by a rogue wave while standing on a rock painting the ocean near Point Mugu in Malibu.