More Green Noise

Oil painting of a birch grove in Plyos, Russia.

Birch Grove. 60 x 80 cm, oil on canvas.

Here are a few more paintings from my two weeks in Plyos, Russia. The weather has been really uncooperative, with rain and/or wind pretty much everyday.

Green Noise is the name of the cultural exchange event here in Plyos. This year is eight ‘Italian’ plein air painters working together with eight Russian artists. The exhibition of our work opened yesterday and will be on display until mid-October.

Oil painting of a rainy day in Plyos.

Rain, Plyos. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

We went out as a group to paint nocturnes in the rain on a few occasions.

Nocturne of the bridge in Plyos, Russia

The Bridge in Plyos, Nocturne. 25 x 35 cm, oil on panel.

Evening, Plyos. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

Evening, Plyos. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

plein air landscape painting of autumn trees in Plyos, Russia

Autumn Trees. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

Below is the updated version of the trinket seller, I needed to change the value on her shawl.

oil painting of a trinket seller in Plyos, Russia.

Trinket Seller. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

We had a lot of fun in the evenings, drinking vodka with the Russian artists and discussing painting and painters. There are a lot of great artists working today in Russia and I’ll post some links to their work in the future.

In the meantime, here is a short video of us painting in the common room one evening:

Oil painting of an accordion player in Russia.

Accordion Player. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

Plyos, Russia

Here, quickly, are some of the paintings from my first week here in Plyos, Russia.

Landscape painting of a street in Plyos, Russia

Street in Plyos. 60 x 80 cm, oil on canvas.

I’m here as part of a cultural exchange, organized by the Landscape Museum in town, between Italy and Russia (I snuck in by living in Italy for 20 years). Past years have included Cyprus and France, and next year will be an exchange with Dutch landscape painters.

Plein air sketch of the The Church of the Resurrection in Plyos.

The Church of the Resurrection (sketch). 25 x 35 cm, oil on panel.

Plein air oil painting of theChurch of the Resurrection in the Rain, Plyos.

Church of the Resurrection in the Rain. 50 x 60 cm, oil on canvas.

Plyos is the small town on the Volga where Isaac Levitan lived and painted and it’s become something of a Russian Giverny for realist painters working today.

Plein air sketch of a grove of birch trees in Plyos, Russia.

Birch Grove. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

As Isaac Levitan is a favorite landscape painter of mine, it’s wonderful for me to come here and see where he worked.

Oil painting of a Trinket Seller in Plyos.

Trinket Seller. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

Oil painting of the roofs in the village of Plyos

Above Plyos, 40 x 60 cm, oil on canvas.

Oil painting of the little wooden church above Plyos, Russia.

The Church above Plyos. 20 x 30 cm, oil on panel.

This is just the work from the first week. I’ll post again when we’re finished. The weather has been terrible, and promises to be terrible the whole trip.

Edit: Below is a photograph of my working situation for the “Church of the Resurrection in the Rain”.

Plein air painting in the rain in Plyos, Russia.

The joys of plein air painting.