Aug 26 (edited) • General discussion
Kelley's Question about Plein Air
When I decided to forgo our live workshops, Kelley said she was interested in the subject of plein air painting. As you may or may not know I was an avid plein air painter for many years. It was my most popular class. I got to the point where I was invited to present at a plein air convention... this is where I looked around and thought: "I am NOT a plein air painter, I'm over it!" It may have been the culture there, the cosplay of wearing outdoor gear in a convention center, the demos from photos which absolutely do not convey anything about painting outdoors. And the fact that Eric Rhoads, an organizer asked me to come up to his room and pose for him. My response was "I think YOU would probably be the one posing if ANYONE was, as I am a presenter here!" 🤢
After that it was so interesting - my plein air classes just stopped filling. I moved toward portraiture and those classes became popular.
I learned SO MUCH from plein air painting. It is the gun slingingest type of painting. You have to make choices and stick with them - hemming and hawing will get you nowhere. While also adapting to the changes inherent in the 'least static subject you can choose to paint from life'. My creative problem solving skills were born with plein air painting. It was also very good for claiming my creativity out loud in the world. At first I was shy to be so seen, but soon I just WAS an artist out in the world.
If anyone wants to engage in a conversation about this subject we can do it in the comments.
Kelley asked: "I would love information about how you approach site selection, and any other tidbits or helpful hints."
Answer: I would choose places I liked to be in. Views I'd seen and admired going about my life. Often times if I was teaching I chose spots that a group could easily disappear into without too much interruption from the public. A restroom is handy! Harder for female anatomy to pee in a bush in certain settings (urban). My mood and energy levels came into it. Sometimes it was nice to pick a place I could walk to. But I was happy to get up early and take a long drive if the location held big inspiration.
I'd ask yourself questions about why you want to paint out of doors. Your reasoning could help you decide how and where to start.
My tips:
- Don't bring a thermos of coffee unless you can pee easily!
- Sunblock
- A hat that can shade your eyes, sunglasses will alter the view.
- Wear/bring layers so you can keep yourself comfy in changing weather (obviously depends on your location).
- Earbuds or headphones so you can signal to the public to leave you alone if you like.
- Snacks. It's so satisfying to sit and eat a cheese sandwich after working your brain in nature! And I also got so involved, I painted longer than intended.
- I never used an easel shade umbrella , I just swiveled my painting setup to avoid direct sunlight on my painting.
- Have a few surfaces in case the light shifts beyond recognition and you want to start a new painting. Though... I can't remember a time I didn't fight through it. But perhaps you are more a of sketcher than I am, or quicker!
- Get those shadow shapes nailed down first and before too long, as the sun is moving and they WILL CHANGE.
my supply list: https://www.feliciaforte.com/supply-list
What else would you like to discuss?
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Kelley's Question about Plein Air
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