Color and Composition Study - Pemaquid

Color and Composition Study - Pemaquid ME

This study is graphite and gouache on paper - 12" x 18"   This painting is a combination of a variety of on location studies, pen and ink composition thumbnails, and represents a combination of views of the region that exist, but not exactly as in this composition.

Some quick notes from doing this study are to extend the tree on the left out of the picture, widen the gap between the river islands, and add a thin line of ocean beyond the mid ground to add some distance - that may also be another composition.  I was not too concerned with colors in this, more just trying to capture an impression.

I plan to do a large watercolor of this as well other media - oil, acrylic, and perhaps charcoal.

https://robertkahlerlandscapepaintings.blogspot.com/2020/03/composition-and-color-study-ammonusuc.html

Composition and Color Study Ammonoousuc River

I had to get out of the house for a bit yesterday.  Did a couple of quick pencil drawings of a farm outbuilding and of two huge maple trees on the farm.  For whatever reason, I seem to be going through a pencil drawing stage now.  There is something about capturing a scene in just shades of graphite that appeals to me.  Some pencil drawings are very delicate yet incongruously breathtaking and powerful at the same time (I'm not referring to my own work - yet).

Yet, this entry is actually not about pencil drawings, so I'll get back on point (pun intended).  Despite my current passion for pencil, I also regularly feel the urge to work with color, even in the design phase of my work.  So what follows is one two color and composition studies that I completed yesterday on 12" x 18" paper using graphite, gouache, and previous on location studies for reference and inspiration.

Ammonusuc River Study

I am still getting used to gouache - it seems to dry darker then when I paint it - whereas transparent watercolor tends to dry a little lighter.  Practice practice practice.  This scene was inspired by a hike (and sketch) along the river last April.  There was still ice and snow in the woods at this time and the river was running rapidly although the level had been dropping as evidenced by the trees and ice deposited along the riverbank far above the current water level.  When you see a large tree "deposited" in still standing trees fifteen feet over your head - its impossible not to be reminded of the power of nature and the respect it is due from us all.    I didn't paint those elements as I really wanted to focus on the river - but that is a subject that I will return to in the future.

Winter 4-6

Winter Paintings 4 - 6

These three paintings were not completed on location, but resulted directly from on location observations.  In each case, I went home after visiting a location and completed these drawings and paintings from memory.

Fort Williams and Moonlight, Ice, Androscoggin were competed very rapidly in one setting.  I didn't have my paints with me  at the time, but I wanted to capture my enthusiasm and the excitement of the moments as soon as possible. The bulk of the larger oil was completed in one sitting as well.

I enjoy working through the design process as well, but when producing a finished painting, I like to keep things as spontaneous as possible.  Painting on location helps me to "keep things fresh."

Charcoal on Paper - Fort Williams Winter
8" x 11"

Moonlight Ice Androscoggin
Watercolor 8"x12"
(First Prize, Watercolor 10th annual Joy of Art)

After the Storm - Oil Painting
24" x 36"

Winter Landscapes 1-3

I have a complicated relationship with winter. The older I get , the less I enjoy winter (shoveling and driving really).  Yet there is an undeniable beauty in winter with all its moods.  The morning shadows and the reflection of sunsets in the snow will steal your breath as sure as the frigid air will.

There is a crispness and clarity to the landscape unlike any other season.  The patterns of shadows on the snow and reflections on brooks and rivers   And the blue moonlight nights are truly magical.  I thought I'd completed a handful of winter scenes over the years but in going through my paintings recently to get ready for an exhibition, I found that I'd completed more than a dozen which I will post over the next few weeks while waiting for more fresh snow to paint.

Nor Easter Maine Coast
Charcoal on Tissue Paper

After the Ice Storm, Lisbon ME
Acrylic on Canvas

Watercolor - on location
Ammonoosic River

Incoming Storm Sebego Lake, Maine

Incoming Storm - Sebego Lake

Acrylic 18"x 24"

This acrylic was painted on location at Harmon's Beach Sebego Lake, Maine many falls ago.  I can remember the day like it was yesterday.  I used a heavy french easel which I had to prop against a tree to keep it from being knocked over by the strong wind gusts.

It was so cold, that when I finished painting, I couldn't drop the paint brush, I needed to remove it from my right hand with my left.

I was focused on the water and sky, amazed at all the colors that we often think of a simply a grey day.  Like any painting I look at later, there are some things that I would do differently now, but i was and still am pleased with the effort.  I captured things that I could never have imagined because it was painted start to finish on location (en plein air).

When I look at this today, I am transported back to that moment in time.  I can hear the crashing windblown surf, and feel and hear the howl of the wind and the spray from the waves.

If you've never tried painting on location, I'd encourage you to do so.  Don't let people talk you out of it talking about all the challenges - its worth it.  I've found that even though some of the effects I'm trying to capture in nature are still beyond me, the mind takes in far more than you are aware of at the time.

For me, sometimes, things go exactly as I hope, or I have happy accidents, and I have a picture ready to frame.  At other times, I use the piece as a reference for a studio work, or I use bits and pieces of what I've painted in other painting compositions.  Others simply are stacked up in the studio. the result of many lessons learned - unlikely to ever see the light of day (or the internet).  Still it is time well spent, in my opinion.

#pleinair #pleinairpainting #acrylicpainting #landscapepainting #Sebagolake #Maine #arttherapy

#artforsale #paintingtips

FMI please visit robertkahler.com

Low Tide Dennis Mass

Low Tide - Dennis Mass

This large charcoal was an elaboration of a quick on site sketch from last summer on Cape Cod.   I will likely do another sketch based on this but with high tide / storm surf.

With this drawing I experimented with applying charcoal and blending with a brush in parts.  There are so many different ways to blend charcoal and the effects of different types of charcoal are also so different.  This drawing was completed with both vine charcoal and compressed charcoal.  Compressed charcoal produces a very rich dark stroke.  For me, vine charcoal also can produce a wide variety of shades, but not as dark as compressed charcoal.

I prefer to use vine charcoal - its very thin and fragile, but I enjoy both the visual effects of the vine charcoal as well as the tactile feel of utilizing it.  It may sound kind of strange, but the vibrations of the charcoal over the tooth of the paper is as close to running your fingers directly over unmarked drawing paper as is possible.

If you are wondering, I utilized a paint brush for blending in the sky and in part in the mid ground.  The remainder of the painting I utilized both my finger as well as a kneaded eraser to blend and lift out highlights.

If you read the recent post on the Lone Pine, you would  turn 180 degrees to see either view (with a little artistic license) - the actual background of the lone pine would have been more dunes and no ocean.


https://robertkahlerlandscapepaintings.blogspot.com/2019/07/lone-pine-cape-cod.html

Peavey's Pasture Eastport ME

Plein Air Watercolor - Peavey's Pasture Eastport Maine

Had a wonderful time in Eastport Maine with family last weekend.  We had beautiful sunny summer days as well as a day of rain showers , clouds, and sea smoke.  So many moods and a painting everywhere you look (Of course I have that problem of seeing paintings everywhere I look all the time - even when driving).

This rolling pasture down to the sea was very striking and had so many different points of interest.

I had decided in advance to bring only watercolor on this trip and completed three paintings on location, observed constantly and took notes for many additional subjects.  Of course, as soon as I saw the harbor and the complex myriad of boats of different shapes and colors with a lot of white, I'd wished Id brought my other mediums as it was too complex for me to attempt that subject in watercolor.  Ahh well.  I suppose I could have done it as a monochrome painting with detailed color notes for later.

abstract seascape study

Here is another full sheet watercolor study by Elmer L. Ham.   The pictures don't do it justice.  It has an almost abstract quality about it.  It strikes me as another on location study.  Faint pencil lines block in both the major masses of rocks (Feels more like California than Maine to me) as well as of the wave action - see below.

The sense of movement is captured and the white of the paper also is utilized effectively to capture whitecaps as well as foam from waves crashing on rocks.  It all implies to me a familiarity with the ocean as well as this particular location.  That is only reinforced by the deft strokes of a loaded brush throughout the painting.  

This strikes me as a rapidly executed sketch (you have a max of a couple of hours before the light changes too much - and my reality of painting along the coast is that you tend to have a shorter window).  But everything is contained within this first pass to allow the artist to go back at any time to finish the painting or to use this as a basis for a finished painting.

I will show more of his completed seascapes in future posts but I enjoy sharing some of my interpretations of the artists thinking.  They are not complete but , for me, the sense of movement is there and I can hear the surf (it could be the tinnitus but I prefer to think it is the surf)

Elmer Ham Fishing Boats

Sketch of Fishing Boats - Watercolor by Elmer L. Ham

8.5" x 10" Sight Size

11" x 14" Framed

There is a quality about a sketch that I particularly enjoy.  You get to see the artists thinking and focus as they work.  What the artist finishes and what the artist leaves out is often telling. 

To me, this study is one of light, shadow, and reflection.  Note how the shading on the boats add depth and form.   On the near boat, how the shadow and rust on the way below deck add form and substance.  The shadows on the second boat on the fishing nets the shadows from the fishing nets on the small boat in between the larger boats.

Also, note the reflections in the foreground, they are not static.  They are fluid and evoke the feeling of moving water. This is the result of years of observation.  Whether or not this was done on location, I have no proof, but it is too close to the subject to have been done as an exercise or from a photograph.

The pencil lines for rigging again are not perfectly taut but as one would find on a working boat in harbor.  The lines for the wharf also frame the composition nicely.  If the wharf were added, it might well distract from the ships.  This may have well been why the sketch was not completed - but there could also be a hundred other reasons.  I do know, from the paintings I have in my possession, that Ham would often return to a subject to emphasize a different aspect of the painting or to tighten up the composition.  Another plausible explanation of why this subject was not completed could have been that it had simply served its purpose for Ham and he kept it for further reference.

I decided to mat and frame this sketch.  I'll replace the white mat with a colored mat to bring out more of the colors within the boats to tie everything together.

Sketch of Fishing Boats - Watercolor by Elmer L. Ham

8.5" x 10" Sight Size

11" x 14" Framed

Crashing Surf and Boats in Harbor

Here is another watercolor painting in the portfolio's that I purchased by Elmer L. Ham. The sense of movement and color that he has captured here speaks to me of someone who spent a great deal of time painting on location and observing nature.  I have no evidence to prove that, only conjecture, a lifetime of observing the ocean and twenty plus years painting on location.

This painting is also freely and confidently painted.  The brushstrokes are visible and help define both form and movement without being overworked.

Today, Ham seems largely forgotten.   A quick review of sales records indicate that he seems to be most well known for his pastel still life drawings of flowers which reflect his training by noted Boston and Newburyport artist Laura Coombs Hills.  The watercolor above and paintings I'll share later show his talent and his interest in his surroundings. 

Here is the beginning of what I've been able to find out about Elmer L. Ham.

Early Years :  Portsmouth and Boston

Elmer L Ham was born in Portsmouth New Hampshire on June 18, 1884 to Robert and Sarah Ham.  He had an adventurous spirit as reflected in a September 15, 1897 article in the Portsmouth Herald.  This article recounts his unauthorized journey walking from Portsmouth NH, sleeping in a barn, and then eventually being discovered by the police “wandering around Market Square (Newburyport) late at night.”   Ham was 13 years old at the time of his first trip.  Elmer attended Portsmouth schools and by 1903 (age 19) he was working as a printer’s apprentice in his father’s print shop in Portsmouth New Hampshire.   (1903 City Directory of Portsmouth NH)

By his mid 20’s, Ham had relocated to Boston and was working in a sign painting shop.  According to the 1910 Federal Census Elmer was an Artist / Librarian for a sign painting and catalogue company.  A number of landscape paintings in watercolor and pastel reflect areas nearby his Allston apartment including the nearby Charles River, Harbor, and Boston Public Gardens.  Other identified paintings include the locales of Newton and New Bedford.  Boston City Directories have Ham listed as continuing to work as a commercial artist for sign companies throughout the late 1920’s.

Fishing Boats in Harbor

15" x 21"

Fishing Boats in Harbor - Winter  15.5" by 22"

These two paintings also speak to me of on location observation.  They are not your typical subjects, particularly the winter subject.  These are also both on large/ full sheets of watercolor paper.  Notice the white of the paper is used for effect in both of these sketches.

Mt. Washington and Ammonoosuc River

Had a wonderful three day stay at the Mt Washington House in Bretton Woods New Hampshire.  This pen and ink sketch was done from the conservatory.  I'd woken up early and gone downstairs and pretty much had the room to myself.  Eventually a few other people came into the room and then we had a surprise guest - a red squirrel.  

The patterns of snow and the beginnings of spring were striking.  Natural abstracts actually.  I went for a walk along the Amonoosuc River.  When the trail moved away the river, I went off trail, for about 20 feet.  I went from less than an inch of snow - up to my waist.  I retreated back to the safety of the trail and choose the view below.

I did a rough pencil sketch with a focus on composition and observational notes.  I did the on location watercolor sketch below for color notes and will work on subjects using these as reference. 

My favorite studio!  The great outdoors.

The painting above was the view looking upriver from this spot.

Group Exhibitions and Juried Competitions

I currently have three works on display at the Crooker Gallery in the Topsham Public Library as part of a combined show for award winners of the 10th annual Joy of Art and Joy of the Lense exhibitions.  The show runs through September 20th.  If you are interested in purchasing any of these paintings please private message me.

Acrylic - 12 x 16

Cape Elizabeth

Painted on Location

Lisbon Farm

Watercolor 8" x 10"

Painted on Location

Stroudwater Colonial

Charcoal on Paper

12" x 16"

The painting below is currently on display at River Arts Gallery in Damriscotta as part of a juried exhibition - local color.  This exhibition runs through the next two weeks.

Lisbon Farm

Acrylic

18" x 24"

I also have submitted two paintings for a juried exhibition ArtinME in Boothbay, ME.  Fingers crossed that one will make the cut!   Am trying to live and take risks according to the motto "Go Big or Go Home!"

Cape Cod

I so enjoyed spending some time on Cape Cod with Julie and our dog Doodle Bug last week.  There was so much to see and paint.  Subjects were everywhere.  I remember hearing artists talk about going to places like Venice and having difficulty choosing what to paint due to the sheer number of possible subjects.  I felt a little like that at Cape Cod.  I'm not sure if its because it was all new to me or simply due to the beauty of the Cape.  We stayed in Dennis - and this church (@ 1838) was literally five minutes down the street from our hotel.  There was a cemetery next door, but I didn't want to take the time to dig too deeply in only one or two areas on this trip.

It can often be challenging to find a place to paint a subject based on traffic and such. This morning was not one of those challenging days.  There were a number of benches throughout the church grounds and this is actually the view from one of the benches.  This small watercolor painting was completed on a block of paper.  If you've never tried using watercolor blocks (paper) I'd encourage you to do so.  The paper doesn't need to be taped down and it doesn't buckle while you are working on it.

Watercolor - On location   Dennis MA.

We traveled throughout the Cape - from Dennis to East Orleans, to Hyannis and Hyannis Port, to Brewster, Eastham,  Truro, and Provincetown.   Just some quick impressions that left us wanting to come back for more.


The landscape brought so many images of Edward Hopper's and Aiden Lassell Ripley's Cape Cod paintings to mind.  They absolutely captured the atmosphere and the landscape in their work.

Setting Out by Aiden Lassell Ripley

Watercolor - Private Collection

Edward Hopper

It also reminded us of how lucky we are to live in Maine, where we too have world class beaches, rivers, and more.  During our travels I made mental notes and took a few photos for reference.  I'm transferring as many memories to canvas and paper as quickly as time allows.

Here's a well known Hopper painting of Two Lights in Maine

I also want to give special thanks the owners of Lucky Stone in East Orleans for their incredible warmth and generosity.  It was an art filled week that allowed us to renew old acquaintances, make new friends, and to spend time with our daughter and her extended field hockey family at Brown University in Providence on our way home.    We also had the opportunity to stop and visit briefly with an old friend from my childhood neighborhood to drop off a painting they had purchased - which will be a subject for a future post.

It was a trip I'll not ever forget.

The painting below is an acrylic on canvas board from sketches, memory, and photos.

Lucky Stone - East Orleans, MA

Summertime Opening Night - River Arts

Robert Kahler landscape paintings

5 mins · 

Lisbon Farm, Watercolor This painting was accepted into the Juried exibition "Summertime" at River Arts Gallery in Damriscotta Maine. The opening of the show is tomorrow evening. It's going to be a busy night... Art Show then back to Lisbon for the Moxie Festival Fireworks!!

https://robertkahlerlandscapepaintings.blogspot.com/2018/06/lisbon-farm-charcoal.html

Farm on location sketch

I go through periods of time when, for a variety of reasons, I am not able to spend time out on location painting.  I crave it.   I can return to on location paintings from decades ago and be just as inspired today as I was at the time I painted it.

Here is my latest on location sketch.  Last fathers day, I sneaked out in the morning and came upon this scene.  The light was very striking

I did a quick pencil sketch in a larger fomat (pictured below) and painted this on a watercolor block.

(note: The line you see on the right side of this sketch is simply the side of the paper that I'd squared out in advance... more important for works I plan to finish and frame)

I did some quick experimentation in the studio this afternoon.  I began outlining the broad strokes of a large charcoal drawing of this scene utilizing the sketches made on location.

Then I utilized tracing paper to try the placement of a tree sketched on location to this scene (The actual placement of the tree would be to the right of this painting.  The tree framed a hill covered in dandelions quite nicely) .

Just a few pencil strokes on the tracing paper indicating the tree led to four or more different compositions inspired by this scene.

A winter scene with the tree and a rock wall in the foreground.  A summer scene of the same. The rock wall though not original to this scene, none the less is a common sight throughout New England and will add some visual interest beyond the simple dirt turnaround I utilized to paint this scene.

Then separate compositions involving the tree framing the group of houses on the left and another of the group of houses on the right.  My father in law was the first to show me different ways to utilize a viewfinder to help reduce distractions in nature and to focus in on different potential subjects for painting.  Another tip of Aiden's is to examine compositions in a mirror.   I've never actually done this on location.

Another artist I quite admire, Frank W. Benson, often took larger subjects (including group portraits) and created separate compositions from the larger original.  It does require more than simply dividing up a larger subject, but I find it to be an enjoyable creative exercise from time to time.

One of Benson's more famous students, Aiden Lassell Ripley, would also experiment with various compositions from various on location sketches.  Including creating some paintings with reversed compositions.  I find it fascinating how much that switch can change the look of a painting.

I plan to begin a large charcoal of the farm in next few days.

Lands End

As I was leaving Bailey Island I was struck by the contrasts in the fading light with the fog rolling in after sunset.  The water was capturing and reflecting all the light it could, creating striking silhouettes of figures as well as the house.  

I've always enjoyed monochrome painting and experimenting with different values.  My early reserach into Charles La Salle and his circle of friends and colleagues from the "golden age" of illustration I was struck by their mastery of charcoal.  "If a picture doesn't work in black and white - color won't save it."  Blunt but accurate I think.  Color can mask a bit, but won't hide a weak composition.  I also experimented with drybrush technique on this painting.  I recieved so much encouragement and advice from the late Bob Harris who was a very successsful illustrator and portraitist.  I still can hear his voice and chuckle about him talking about knowing when a painting is done before it is "finished."

I learned quite a bit from this sketch and will do some additional compositional sketches with paint before executing a large scale charcoal and then a finished painting.  I've settled on this working method over many years.  I quite like it because I enjoy working in different media on different scales and it allows me to combine my love of outdoor painting (Plein Air) with the creative challenges of design and composition.    I can also have many subjects going at once in different stages of development.

Sometimes I paint outdoors just to get outdoors - but I may not have a great or interesting subject for a finished painting.  However, no matter what , the practice of painting and observing always comes in handy and helps inform future paintings and drawings either through a successful painting or parts thereof or in the experience of learning not to repeat a mistake or series of mistakes.

I'm never stuck in the pattern of start to finish in any set order.  Some ideas are simply set aside for further consideration.  Sometimes years go by until I revisit a subject.  I find it satisfying to have a body of paintings waiting for further develoipment that I can go down into the studio after a long day or on a night when the weather forces me indoors.  It helps me work on my favorite painting - my next one.

Don't have everything you need to paint? - don't worry

Here is a sketch I completed today at a local stream.  I've also included a page from my sketchbook to further illustrate some ideas I'll pursue later in the studio.

This sketch represents the bones of what I'll work from later in the studio.  A number of things added some challenges (some avoidable, some not) to this day of sketching.  

My brush carrier had opened and most of my brushes had spilled out in the car.  Rather than go back I decided to forge ahead.  Another "mistake" I'd made was setting up directly in the sun - but this was the view I wanted to capture.  The paints dried very quickly in the pallette as well as on the paper.  Oh yes - I also did not bring my easal or paper towels.  So basically I brought myself and a partially stocked paint box :)  I hadn't restocked since my last outing.

Many year ago, any one of the above factors would have caused me to get frustrated and potentially not to have done any painting at all.  I've now painted enough that the act of painting this on location has developed, for me, a visual memory of the scene/location that will assit in final painting.

I remember a quote attributed to Picasso.  Someone had asked him what he would do if he were to run out of red paint (he was in the midst of a painting with a great deal of red I suppose.)  His answer -  "Then I'd use black"  In other words - he's express his idea with whatever material was at his disposal.  One of the things I strive for is to not let the medium get in the way of what I'm trying to express or capture if you will.

As soon as I completed the sketch I put down the watercolor block and my paints to dry before packing up. (This wouldn't take long in the sun).    I took the time to grab my sketch book, turn around and sketch a  couple of different views of the waterfall.  I will continue to develop these ideas into a finished painting or drawing at a later time.

The above picture is sketchbook page which illustrates the method I'e been using lately.  The middle of the page is blocked off for a standard size 8 X 10 drawing.  I then section off the border, which if I do decide to complete and frame the center image - the border skeches and notes would be covered by the mat.  The boarder sketches and notes are ideas for other paintings or notes on the location at the time of the painting. The sketches are tiny, but help me save time to work out design elements before starrting a finished piece.

These sketches are enlarged roughly 50%

Stockbridge River Sketch

Stockbridge River – Acyrlic on Canvas 12” x 16”

I set up on a small bridge near tumbledown mountain years ago to complete this on location sketch in early spring years ago.  Some of my on location paintings are quite complete – others are very rough.  It depends on a number of factors from time, subject, weather conditions, and my reason for painting the particular subject.  If I’m experimenting with a new medium, new technique, et cetera, I’m not very concerned about producing a “finished” painting.  Though unfinished, this painting is one of my favorites because of the memories of the day with my father in law.

The spring runoff from the mountain was roaring on this particular day, and being on the bridge in the shade of the valley and trees was very  cold.  I hardly noticed how cold I was until I did the trees in the closest forground.  The broken paint strokes were as much a physical response as a stylistic one.  I’d planned to complete the birches with black spots throughout but by then I was too cold.

I find in expansive settings, particularly in the mountains, it can be difficult to choose which subject to paint.  They sky and lighting on the mountains wasn’t particularly interesting on this day, rather hazy, so I decided to focus on this subject.  I think that this subject would also be interesting in bright daylight and shadows creating patterns of light on the river, trees, and rocks.  This sketch will remain unfinished but will serve as a refernce

One lesson I learned on this trip was to pay close attention to your surroundings.  My father in law and I drove in as far as the snow let us, and then we hiked the rest of the way to this location.  Neither of us had really considered how much the tote road would soften as the snow melted throughout the day.  We made it out fine, but there were a few times where we thought we would be spending the night.  I try to make it a point to bring extra clothing, blankets, etc when I'm painting somewhere off the beaten trail.

Midcoast Marsh, Brunswick Maine

This painting was started and completed in one session in my studio.  So it took me 51 years and two and half hours to paint!

The inspiration for this painting (Acrylic 12" x 16" on canvas board ) came from trips along the mid coast and an acutal location in Brunswick Maine.

While I often paint on locations that I've never been to before, when I do studio work I try to link it to actual on location sketches.  In this case I'd done an on location pencil sketch and some larger charcoal drawings where I attempted a number of different compositions which both simplified some elements of the landscape and elaborated on other elements of the scene as it existed.

We just returned from a vacation to Pennsylvania where I completed a few quick sketches and attempted one painting on location but, to be frank, the Pennsylvania landscape and conditions kicked my a$%.  More on that for another post.

What I did do differently in this painting was that I painted over the Pennsylvania sketch with burnt sienna which gave me a more fully prepped and smoother surface to work on.  I also liked how that base helped warm the painting up more than simply using a white canvas.  Have seen a number of artists do this, but I'd never tried it before.  Something I definitely will continue to experiment with.

If you've never tried painting outdoors - I encourage you to do so.  Check out John Stobart's  "The Pleasures of Painting Outdoors" and "Worldscape" series one and two.  I had the pleasure of meeting John a number of times on his trips to Maine and he is such an inspiration to so many!

Where did that idea come from?

Question:  Where to shop for good ideas?

Answer:  Anywhere.

In this post, I'm not speaking about copying ideas for paintings or compositions - but rather about developing your own working methods and organization so that you can spend most of your time actually painting.

I enjoy hearing about other peoples working methods.  You'll develop your own working methods through time and trial and error.  Take what works from others and make it your own.  In my experience this is as true for art as it is in all walks of life.  I don't have just one working method - for those of you who know me that comes as no surprise. However, I do spend more time now planning a painting than I used to - but its taken me 15 years to get to that point.  Time wasted looking for supplies or reference sketches does get old after awhile.

Whenever possible I try to paint the subject on location. I've found that when I refer back to on location works there is so much more in my memory that I was consciously aware of at the time.
When I cannot paint on location, I try to make some quick studies or sketches on location or at least to spend some time getting the feel of a location.

The three sketches below were completed on a camping trip to Houghton Maine years ago.  Most of my on location paintings are done in watercolor - due to ease of transport.

Watercolor sketch 12"x16"

This watercolor was done on the first day of the trip.  I found a clearing halfway up a wooded hill overlooking the camp site.

Oil  12" X16"

This was one of the first times I attempted oils on location.  This view was looking up the tote road from our campsite at ground level.

Watercolor  Sketch 12"X16"

This was a very quickly executed watercolor on the last day of the trip.  I'd intended to paint the campsite as well - but swarms of black flies had other ideas!!

My paintbox holds two twelve by sixteen canvas boards and I'm able to put a small watercolor pad behind it.  I tape the watercolor paper to the back of my easel and my brushes, paints, watercolor paintbox fit inside easily.  I keep water, papertowels, and other supplies in a small backpack and have a portable chair although I will often find a tree or other surface to sit on and some other times I'll paint standing up.  This set up literally takes no time at all to grab and go.

The trick and ,for me, the challenge was how to organize my paintings and sketches in my studio.  More about that later.