Field Studies

I have seen artists paint on location and use it as reference for a larger more finished work to be done at their studio and tell others how important that procedure is. I have never been able to grasp that concept. When I paint outside, I am never able to finish the painting on location and I never use it as reference to do a larger piece. After painting outside, I finish a painting in the studio and leave it at that, then I have a nicely finished small painting to show rather than leaving it as a study. To create a larger painting I need more information than I'm able to glean during the half hour I painted outside. The idea of painting less and making more of it later just doesn't work for me. My field paintings are simplified and basic and seldom can I transfer that to a larger piece. It doesn't mean that plein air painting is of no value. The soul of the subject can often be felt while in the field as opposed to being in the studio. That information can be mindfully stored and often comes out naturally in future paintings. I require information to complete a larger painting and I use a camera to capture the details I need for a large work, not just a small field study.