Plein Air Painting
Hi Everyone, I have just finished some plein air paintings. For those of you who don't know the term "plein air" means to paint in the outdoors. You are leaving the comfort of home or studio behind and painting in a location. The practice goes back centuries but the impressionists made it a "thing" because they were all about capturing light in their work. https://www.artistsnetwork.com/art-subjects/plein-air/plein-air-art/
My relationship with Plein Air started when I moved to Washington eight years ago. I immediately joined the local Art League (PAL https://peninsulaartleague.org/) and fell in love with being out doors and exploring new locations! This does not translate to great art but I did feel very inspired by the locations. So, what I learned along the way. Painting on location is tricky, there is much to take in and it's hard sometimes to figure out what to put in the painting. This is where your phone or a viewfinder can be very helpful. https://marleypeifer.com/the-nature-journal-show/how-to-use-a-viewfinder-for-drawing-landscapes/ The other thing that I've learned is working smaller is easier because the light can change dramatically when you're out and so it's easier to work faster when you work small and capture the colors and elements that are important. Value - This I learned from watching other artists. I don't always make a value study but I do think that it's very important to know what you want to make the darkest area in a painting. This is always where your eye will land. As humans we are trained to see contrast first. Your phone can be helpful here too because you can take the picture and make it a black and white photo immediately seeing where the darkest areas are.
Materials, I've played with many different mediums on location what I like best are watercolors. I use acrylics in my studio but they dry out far too quickly and I buy large tubes which are much too large on location. I've tried watercolor pencils and markers but didn't love the results. I have two little palettes I take on location. One is a Windsor Newton set, the other is a Prima watercolor pan. Last, I sketch first to work out the composition. Remember it's your art so sometimes leaving things out or changing things will help your painting.
Finally, some days you will walk away with a painting you like other days, not so much but remember to just enjoy being outside, slow down, and appreciate the surroundings.
