Plein air (outdoor) painting is having a resurgence. I only know of a few painters of the past (Rubens, Claude Lorrain, Corot, Sargent, Monet and the Impressionists, Andrew Wyeth) who painted outdoors, at least in oil. It simply wasn’t practical until paint tubes came along around 1841. Today, there are hundreds of plein-air events across the US, and tens of thousands of artists who paint outdoors.
I started painting outdoors in 2023. Before then I had only ever sketched outdoors. In 2023, I met the artist Patti Shistle when I took her oil painting class. By coincidence that year, she hosted a plein air retreat in Virginia which I attended, then went to a demo by plein air painter Morgan Samuel Price. When I first started I used a cheap ($14) tripod easel off of Amazon and created a homemade palette from a plastic project box lined with palette paper. I carried my own foldout table. Awkward. But I didn’t want to invest too much in case I didn’t like the process.
Most of my life, I’ve painted from photos or still lifes. Painting outdoors comes with many challenges (the light changes about every 8 minutes, there can be bad weather, etc.) But it also has some huge advantages: You get to practice composition, you get better at observation, and you also figure out how to paint faster. Your paintings tend to be looser as a result. The colors outdoors are more vibrant, though I have a bit more trouble matching them in the sunlight. You learn to paint in the shade and to bring bug spray and suntan lotion. Some artists just do studies outdoors, then finish up paintings or use the studies to do larger paintings in the studio. Plein air painting is a bit harder because of the logistics, travel, and weather. But I love being outdoors. I have a ton of respect for the painters who do mostly plein air works and turn out amazing pieces. Kathleen Hudson, Tim Beall, Matt Smith come to mind. In Florida, you have to stay alert for alligators, too. You learn not to paint too close to a lake shore.
I’ve done three paint out events so far, and plan to keep going. I found a used French easel online for $35, and that’s been a game changer.
Here are some photos of my few plein air adventures.
