"Before the Switch" Two Rivers Plein Air, New Braunfels, Texas, plein air painting by Robin Weiss

"Before the Switch"  11x14 oil on linen panel   Sold

I love the spontaneous stuff that happens when you are painting on location..I set up to paint this scene during the Two Rivers Plein Air competition with the plan to make the old barn my focal point. Always looking for a "lead in" to a composition, the train rails served the purpose perfectly. I also liked the diagonal bank with the trees taking over from the tracks leading to the barn.

Back she comes obscuring the view too late to mess me up!

As I was still working on the block in under-painting,  train noises started getting louder and louder until this boxcar appeared !  "Great" I thought "Now this train is going to block my view"!  Well, it stopped right there and some train guys started working around the tracks. I went over and asked them if the train was going to move. "It'll be about 30 mins until we can switch tracks and then she's movin on".......Okay!  30 minuets, I can do this!! I added the boxcars with their nice yellow color to the composition making it much more interesting!  Just as I finished, the train started moving back....



The other cool thing that happened surprised me on opening night of the event.  The owners of the barn came to buy the painting they saw me working on. Turns out this barn has been in the family over 100 years and they wanted it for posterity......I love that! One of the great things about plein air painting!

Hope all your trains arrive on time!!

Have fun out there!