Connolly Ranch

I recently went painting at Connolly Ranch with Kristine Pallas, a talented painting partner. It was a productive day as I worked on three paintings throughout the day. This 11 x 14 painting was the last one started and I mostly completed the blue house while plein air painting. Having a quality camera helps for reference work back in the studio.

This 10 x 12 was done entirely on location. Being outside painting is a joy on a day like we had.

Weather Woes

Daisy & Roses, 5 x 7

What do plein air painters do when weather doesn't cooporate? Painting from photos is one good option, especially if you have the plein air painting done on location and also took a photo of the scene. I find painting a larger studio piece works best if I have both a photo and small study to reference.

I find winter is also a great time to explore subject matter a bit out of my comfort zone. Ultimately, it is all about the mileage. Flower still lifes are difficult to execute. Especially with a loose style like mine.

2010 Happy Holidays from Brent Jensen (click image for easier reading)

North Bay Plein Air Painters

Being a full-time painter can be isolating if you let it. To counter that tendency, I have pushed myself to paint with "paint partners" and now groups such as the North Bay Plein Air Painters group. I've painted twice with them and like the group organizers and location choices. Egos are checked at the door and participants seem to have a good time while maintaining the professionalism of what the group is about.

China Camp was one of the spots for a recent group outing. I plein air painted this 10 x 8, Seaside Village.

Later, in my studio and from photo, I painted this 16 x 20, China Camp View painting.

One of my goals is to create paintings that look effortless (easy), which is quite difficult to do.  A broad brushstroke made once with confidence adds impact to a painting. Below is a close up which hopefully illustrates my point.

Oil Painting Demonstration of "Autumn in France"

I took several photos of my 18 x 24 oil painting, Autumn in France to illustrate the steps involved in painting it. I made a youtube video and talk through it in a way that hopefully is of interest.

High School Senior Oil Painting

I visited family over Thanksgiving and saw one of my paintings dated 12-10-76, my senior year of high school. Seeing this 34 year old 24 x 36 painting brought back many memories as I had forgotten I had even painted it. For my age then, I'm okay with the sky and mountains, but I've certainly come along way from painting single pieces of foreground grass. After high school, I went on to earn a B.A. in Art at the University of Utah. To make a living, I had a long career in architectural illustration and did not begin fine art painting again until 2002. I am serious about my career as a full-time painter. Seeing this painting from when I was 18 made me pause and think about the decades of lost time not focused on fine art. In the end, I realized that at least I'm painting now. No more looking back and wondering what if....

Does Size Matter?

I paint as small as 4 x 6 and as large as 36 x 48. A canvas size requires an execution of the painting in a different manner such as:

Time Investment: A small plein air piece can sometimes be completed in 1 to 2 hours. Whereas, I can spend periods of time every day for a week or more on a large canvas. The challenge on larger pieces is to know when to stop as they can become overworked. All painters have "scrappers." It's how we improve. The more hours invested, the more difficult it is to face reality and scrape a large piece. When it happens, I do my best to remember, it's all about the mileage.


Drawing:  I spend much more time drawing out a larger canvas. Smaller pieces are more forgiving when dimensions need adjustment.

Brush size: Larger paintings require larger brushes. I use between a #6 flat up to a 1 inch brush for my larger pieces. Not only does the paint apply quicker, it assists you in staying loose.

Information: Often, my smaller pieces will not have as many details as a larger piece. It is important to have an editing eye and take artistic license on every scene, but especially on small works.

Reference: Plein air studies are often used to compare colors when completing larger pieces back in the studio. Many times, the studies are discarded once the larger piece is completed as I may not complete them. Their purpose primarily serves as color reference.

30 x 40

11 x 14 plein air

30 x 48


 12 x 16 plein air