>> -- IS FRENCH FOR OPEN AIR, BUT REALLY IT JUST MEANS TO PAINT ON SITE, OUTDOORS.

SO WE GO TO THE SCENERY WE WANT TO PAINT, AND WE SET UP THERE.

I WAS A STUDENT AT COLUMBUS COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN.

DID A WHOLE PUNCH OF LANDSCAPE PAINTINGS, AND THE INSTRUCTORS SAID YOU NEED TO GET OUTSIDE AND REALLY DO IT.

AND I NEVER REALLY HAD THOUGHT ABOUT THAT, BUT I ALWAYS ENJOYED HIKING AND OUTDOORS.

I'M A BIRD WATCHER.

SO I HEARD HIM SAYING I COULD COMBINE MY TWO FAVORITE THINGS, PAINT AND BEING OUTDOORS.

SO I TRIED IT AND KIND OF NO TURNING BACK FROM THERE.

I LOVE PAINTS HERE AT SHILER PARK.

WE'VE GOT A GREAT AUTUMN DAY.

IT'S A LITTLE CHILLY BUT GOOD.

AND THE BEAUTIFUL FALL COLORS.

RATHER THAN PAINTING THE CHANGING LEAVES, I LOVE THE BRICKS.

I LOVE THE ORANGE AND REDS THAT THE BRICK OFFERS.

I LIKE A SCENE THAT'S VERY KIND OF ALMOST CHAOTIC.

A LOT OF INFORMATION.

I CALL IT ALL CITY CLUTTER.

JUST A BUNCH OF CITY CLUTTER, AND I LIKE TO GET LOST IN THAT AND HAVE TO PAINT MY WAY OUT OF IT.

THE CHALLENGE IN THAT CHAOS FORCES ME TO THINK MORE ABSTRACTLY IN THE PAINTING BECAUSE THERE'S NO WAY I CAN PAINT ALL OF THAT STUFF IN THE TWO TO THREE HOURS THAT I'M MAKING THE PAINTING ON SITE, AND SO IT'S LIKE A PUZZLE OR A PROBLEM TO SOLVE LIKE HOW DO YOU CONVEY ALL OF THIS CLUTTER SIMPLY OR ABSTRACTLY ON A FLAT CANVAS WITH GOOY PAINT.

AS FAR AS THE PROCESS LIKE WHERE I GET STARTED, FIRST I PICK A LOCATION TO JOURNEY TO FOR THAT DAY.

I'LL SAY, TODAY I WANT SOMETHING URBAN, YOU GET THERE WITH THE GENERAL IDEA OF WHAT YOU WANT AND THEN SCOUT AROUND.

SOMETIMES I SEARCH FOR MY SCENE FOR 30 MINUTES.

THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS TO MAKE A PAINTING ABOUT, BUT I'M SEARCHING FOR WHAT TODAY'S WILL BE ABOUT, COLOR, LIGHTING, VALUE, LIGHTS AND DARKS.

JUST AN INTERESTING SUBJECT, SOMETHING I DIDN'T EXPECT TO SEE THAT DAY THAT I THINK, OH, THERE'S MY PAINTING.

AND I SELECT A PALETTE, AND SO I HAVE A SET OF COLORS THAT I ALWAYS CARRY WITH ME, BUT I'LL MIX AND MATCH THEM AND CREATE WHAT'S CALLED A LIMITED PALETTE WHERE I USE A CERTAIN SET OF THOSE COLORS INFLUENCED BY THE ATMOSPHERE.

I ALSO DO A THUMBNAIL SKETCH AND KIND OF PLOT IT OUT.

THIS IS A CHANCE TO GET THROUGH ANY PITFALLS.

IF YOU'RE GOING TO PUT SOMETHING RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE, YOU WANT TO LEARN THAT IN THE STUDIES SO YOU DON'T TRIP OVER THAT IDEA LATER WHEN YOU HAVE ALL YOUR PAINT ON THE SURFACE.

I WOULD SAY TO STEP BACK AND PAINT FROM CARE-FREE TO CAREFUL.

AND I THINK OF IT LIKE IF YOU WERE DOODLING AND YOU SCRIBBLE AND THEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THAT SCRIBBLE AND YOU ADD AN EAR AND EYE AND YOU GOT A BUNNY, THAT'S HOW I PAINT.

THEN I STEP BACK AND SAY, A WINDOW HERE AND A HORIZON THERE, LANDSCAPE.

I HAVE FUN PAINTING PINE TREE LIMBS, I KNOW THAT.

SO I -- WHEN YOU'RE EXCITED ABOUT SOMETHING, IT ALWAYS MAKES IT EASIER.

I DON'T KNOW WHY THAT IS.

KEEP THAT IN MIND.

THAT GOES TO WHEN I TALK ABOUT PAINTING WHAT YOU WANT TO PAINT, NOT PAINTING WHAT YOU THINK YOU CAN PAINT BECAUSE IF YOU'RE EXCITED, YOU'RE GOING TO DO BETTER.

I TEACH A LOT, AND I'VE TAUGHT A LOT OVER THE YEARS, AND I THINK MANY PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT TEACHING IS THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF LEARNING.

SO WHEN I HAVE TO EXPLAIN THINGS THAT I'M DOING TO MY STUDENTS, IT CONFIRMS TO ME THOSE CONCEPTS, AND SOMETIMES I HAVE TO FIGURE OUT EVEN WHAT IT IS.

IT'S LIKE THERE'S SOMETHING THAT I'M SEEING IN WORK, OTHERS' WORK OR MY STUDENTS' WORK, MY OWN WORK, AND I HAVE TO TRY TO UNCOVER OR REVEAL TO ALL OF US WHAT THAT IS.

THAT'S WHAT TEACHING BRINGS TO MY ART.

TOO SMALL.

THAT'S LIKE A DELICATE SPLATTER.

NEED A BIGGER SPLATTER.

NOW WHAT TO DO ABOUT THESE.

LET'S GIVE THEM THE FINGER, SEE WHAT THEY BECOME.

FOR A WHILE, I WAS MAKING PAINTINGS THAT WERE VERY LIGHT, KNOWN AS HIGH-KEY PAINTINGS, AND I JUST -- I KIND OF SPENT THAT, AND SO I THOUGHT, WHAT DO I DO NEXT, SO I STARTED MAKING PAINTINGS THAT WERE LOW KEY, VERY DARK.

I CALL THEM MY NEW APOLOGIES OR NEW GEL.

SO MY STUDENTS HAVE WORKED WITH ME FOR A LONG TIME.

WE SAY IS THIS NEW, NEW, NEW, NEW GEL OR ALL GEL, AND THERE'S ALL THESE COMPARISONS OR DIFFERENT STEPS IN OUR GROWTH.

I'M ALWAYS PUSHING FOR THAT NEXT TURN IN MY PATH AND BRINGING MY STUDENTS ALONG WITH ME.

AND I SHOULD SAY I CALL THEM STUDENTS, BUT REALLY THEY'RE ARTISTS THAT PAINT WITH ME.

YEAH.

BUT SO YOU GUYS KNOW, I STEAL FROM ALL OF YOU.

OR YOU CAN -- OR I LEARN FROM YOU IS THE RIGHT WAY TO SAY THAT, BUT.

THIS IS A GOOD WAY TO WORK.

I THINK IT'S MAYBE THE HARDEST WAY TO PAINT BECAUSE YOU HAVE SO MANY DISTRACTIONS, BUT YOU CAN SPIN THAT AND SAY THOSE ARE EXPERIENCES TO ME THAT WOULDN'T HAPPEN IN THE STUDIO.

SO YOU GOT TO GET OUT OF THE STUDIO AND MAKE THOSE MEMORIES.