Diving into plein-air season - part 1

Plein-air

Mar 13

Sooo. For almost a month now, I have been wanting to write about plein-air. This year, I started goig back for plein-air mid-January. If the first couple sessions felt very cold, the weather is now suprisingly hot, and I’m so happy to take this time to soak in the sun and the nature awakening.

For now, I imagine this topic to take at least 3 blogposts (and I will try my best to post them quicker than one every month…). I want to take you through a few changes that I have made regarding how I approach plein-air. I will start with an ode to my love for plein-air (and just breaking down what is plein-air). The (hopefully next week), I’ll take you through my discovery of mixed media and how it has changed the way I do plein-air art, and finally I will try to showcase my favorite plein-air supplies! So stay tuned :)

What is plein-air?

Basically, it’s sketching or painting outside (something you are seeing). But I try not to make any hard rules around it (which I used to do, with sketchbooks only for painting from observation outside - and nothing else). The subject does not really matter. I am primarily a landscape painter, so obvioulsly I gravitate towards painting landscapes. But you can sketch people, architecture, objects, basically anything. You can go with only a sketchbook and a pencil, or go full out with your oil paints and easel, it does not matter. You get to somewhere that inspires you, set up your supplies and you’re ready to go! If you’re painting in the city it may be described as “urban sketching”, but no matter the subject or the name, the idea remains the same. In lot of places you can find a group of people that gather more or less regulalry to sketch and paint outside together :)

Why painting plein-air?

So many reasons. Basic one is to take your daily/weekly/monthly dose of fresh air. It’s also a really nice way to grow you artistic skills (especially when it comes to observational skills). You’ll soon discover that painting outside from observation is a very different skill from painting in the studio from reference. However, in the long run, it will definitely help you even with you indoor artistic practise. It can be a way to study a specific subject that you cannot completely capture in references, like light going through foliages, or a stream, or the same landscape at different times of the day or times of the year. There are probably tons of other reasons, but my tired brain can only think about one last, which is connecting with your surroundings differently. Painting outside will make you experience the place in a totally different way, and it can even become a sort of meditative practise.

If painting a whole scene feels overwhelming, it is always possible to zoom in on one detail that you like, try different compositions with big shapes, or take color notes to recreate the atmosphere you felt when you’re back at the studio.

Common issues when painting plein-air

As mentioned above, painting plein-air is not something easy and simple. Many things can be challenging, especially the first time. The first thing is the outside… The weather, the terrain, the people. Everything can become a barrier to finding a nice and comfortable sport where you feel at ease to create. I will share a few tricks to make yourself comfortable when talking about the supplies. When it comes to the weather, I tend to avoid rainy and windy days. I don’t mind cold days for quick sketches, but everyone has to determine their comfort zone. Don’t start with a “hard” weather, when plein-air painting is already a whole adventure by itself! And when it comes to people, I’ve only ever had great experiences with people (just make sure you’re not in the middle of a path or something). If you feel very uncomfortable, try to find a place where there are not so many people at first, and use headphones to make it clear you don’t want to be bothered ;)

The second one is the supply. It can be quite difficult at first to find out what suppliey you like to carry outside. I always tend to carry way more than what I need (though I am definetely getting beter at that), which then makes it hard to move around. Also, the art you make outside can look and feel very different from what you usually do in the studio. It takes some adjustments to find your “plein-air style” and the media you want to use. Just be patient with yourself, and don’t shy away from experimenting. I suggest to try and start light, with some core supplies that you already know and like (don’t add additional pressure on your first plein-air attempts). You can always build on that later and re-adjust.

Another difficulty is to find the subject. Everything can feel inspiring around, it can be hard to break down your scene into smaller bits that you feen comfortable painting… I usually pre-prepare my sketchbook page with some frames, and then find whatever composition would fit the frames. When I started, I used to try to capture everything, which made it super overwhelming and frustrating. Now, I focus on small bits at the time, until I feel comfortable with the whole scene (which is not an objective, but can sometimes happen). It also motivates me to come back to some places to try other compositions or subjects.

Final issue I want to discuss today is related to the timing of plein-air. I used to try doing some plein-air paintings when I was hiking with friends and family. The process was incredibly frustrating because I felt under time pressure, and under “result” pressure… I tried capturing a whole complex scene, in under 20min (usual lunch break time), and make something people around me would find “nice”. I still occasionally do these plein-air sessions, but I mostly go outside by myself around my appartment, and scale my subject to the time I have, The more you do plein-air, the better you will know yourself and the time it takes you to tackle something. But I strongly encourage you to try first in low-pressure environment (by yourself or in plein-air sketching groups), and not try to force plein-air into other activities that will create constraints on you.

My “philosophy” of plein-air painting

Now that we have discussed all these issues, you may wonder why I keep coming back to plein-air. Sure it has its challenges, but it is also so rewarding. For me, it’s really a beautiful way to connect to a place and to enjoy Nature. I love capturing moments in my sketchbook. Better than with photographs, I can remember way more from a sketch. It’s also a way to be fully present and enjoy the moment. When I’m sketching, I zone out, and I don’t dwell on past problems or future challenges. It motivates me to go and explore alone. It can also be a way to connect with some people. Or to learn things (about trees, at a museum etc.). It is such a wholesome experience, I really got addicted :) I may even try to tackle PleinAirpril this year… (but let’s see, because April is coming soon and my todo list is not getting shorter). But overall, I try to enjoy the process and not focus on a specific result. I take this as a way to discover and experiment, and always try to keep the pressure as low as possible. Let me know about your plein-air experience!