PAINTING IN THE RAIN

James Gurney shows how rain can be a plein air painter's best friend, but also their worst enemy A heavy downpour is fatal to an unprotected watercolor.

The combination of wind and rain will eventually shut down an oil painting, too, even when you're under a good umbrella. But despite the challenges, rain is a time-honored subject for plein air painters, with its moody light and glistening reflections. Here are a few stories of how I tried to paint from life on rainy days.

DROPLETS ON THE WINDSHIELD

Painting in gouache is usually impossible if it's raining. Why not paint from inside the car? There's an interesting effect that I want to capture: raindrops on the windshield. That means painting the out-of-focus landscape view first, so that the attention stays on the plane of the window. The droplets form an are along the outer path of the wiper.

DOWNPOUR AT THE FARMERS MARKET

The weatherman warns of a lightning storm with a torrential downpour. I'm ready. I protect my easel with two big umbrellas, each clamped to its own C-stand. I stand in the gap between them. As the rain starts, a cold stream heads down my neck. When the wind picks up, I put my foot on the base of one of the C-stands to keep it from blowing down.

My wife sets up under the open tailgate of our van. She's out of the rain, but her watercolor washes won't dry. Another friend has a half an inch of water pooling in the box of his French easel.