Dans le Centre Commercial

It may be a sign of a long winter when cabin fever hits before Christmas. 

I have been feeling listless and cooped up lately, then I realized I have not done any plein air painting.  That also could explain why there haven't been many posts to the plein air online group I like to follow, New York Plein Air Painters, either.  With lots of subzero temperatures this week, I needed a creative work around.  So I thought, "Why not go to the mall?''  I could get a little Christmas shopping done too. So instead of "en plein air" this week, it was "dans le centre commercial."

 

I didn't bring my outdoor easel, I just packed supplies in my art bag.

 

 

 

These people were kind of interesting but they kept moving.

 

 

 

Then I found Santa and his agent.

 

 

 

I composed my picture,

 

 

 

zoomed in

 

 

 

and got to work.

 

Santa seemed to be having a good time. 

His "Ho, Ho, Hos'' were very loud like he was singing. 

Maybe he is in a choir during his off season.

 

 

 

After an hour I got this far.  I was thinking of a vignette approach like Tom Ryan demonstrated for the Upper Hudson Valley Watercolor Society this fall. 

 

 

 

Snack at Panera did not disappoint: 

pumpkin pie bagel, hazelnut cream cheese and earl grey tea

 

 

 

Back home in studio I worked on it some more.