Winslow Homer, Artists Sketching in the White Mountains, 1868 Plein air painting is a highly recommended practice, especially for landscape painters. It helps you hone your skills by forcing you to paint with a sense of urgency as the light quickly retreats or otherwise changes. I made a commitment to myself to do more plein
Plein air, or painting outdoors is an invigorating experience. Read these 9 tips so you can feel prepared when you next take your easel out.
This is 9 of the 13 paintings I did during the Sonoma Plein Air event this year. This one was difficult because these buildings were so far away, I had difficulty seeing the details clearly. Normally I would get closer to them, but the field between me and the subject was private property. Back of the Ranch 6x12" It was a hot day when I discovered this trailer. Fortunately I had my huge patio umbrella with me and was able to stand in the shade. The most difficult and most time consuming painting of the week, I spent over 3 hours staring at this shiny monster. Back Yard Camper 12x16" I've painted this truck before -- a beautiful old Studebaker. I had not planned to paint it this particular morning, but the light was so perfect at 8am when I saw it on my way to another painting location, that I changed my plans. Big Red 8x12" By the time I got to this one, I had a good amount of paintings already, so I was more experimental, using stronger colors and simplifying the shapes more. Curve Ahead 11x14" This view is from within a private vineyard where we had special permission to paint. The challenge was to get the middle ground greens to fade into the distant blues. Harvest Time 12x16" I had an hour to kill before the Quick Draw began, so I did a little 6x8" of this Airstream I found nearby. Airstream 6x8" This was my piece for the Quick Draw. This beautiful old brick building used to be a hardware store I'm told. I was pretty happy with it considering I only had 90 minutes, and there was a big truck parked to the left blocking my view of the sidewalk and store windows. Corner Store 8x10" I've painted this old Chevy many times over the years in Sonoma, but never this small. I wanted to do something using this proportion, but this was the largest canvas I had left. Yellow in shadow often gives me a hard time but feel I captured it fairly accurately. I'm happy with how it came out, and would like to try it on a 12x24" sometime. Old Yeller 6x12" When I first did my pencil sketch of this, I was immediately excited about the big shadow shapes connecting the barns. Everything came together pretty easily on this one, and I was happy I didn't get stung by any of the bees from the 30 or so hives across the street and behind me. My favorite of the week. Near the Bees 11x14"
When painting in plein air, artist Jeremy Sams scours the landscapes around his home in Archdale, North Carolina, for a spot that rouses all of his senses. “It begins in your initial journey, whether it’s a hike through a place of natural solitude with all of the smells and cool breezes or just a stroll down a street with the melodies of urban life,” he shares. He then paints sublime interpretations of the nearby landscape, relying on a realistic color palette in acrylic to render slightly blurred edges and the location’s generally serene qualities: overlaid by a dreamy haze, brooks reflect the surrounding trees, a small brood of chickens pecks at spring grass, and snow melts into a rocky stream. More
What’s the best palette for painters? We asked, and you answered! More than 25 artists share their favorites here (including DIY palettes).
I recently spent a night at the beautiful Secrets on the Lake in Queensland, Australia with my partner, Chontele. We stayed in a secluded lodge nestled amongst the dense rainforest. I used this trip as a chance to test out some of my new plein air painting equipment. But, despite the stunning nature which surrounded
The famed artist made many of his great plein-air paintings at his beloved North Haven. An expansive new show at the Farnsworth featuring several of those works fairly glows with the distinctive Benson light.
By Timothy M. Joe in Art Tutorials > Painting Tutorials Plein air painting is an exciting way to sharpen your observation skills and grow as an artist. However, it can also be a nerve-wracking experience your first few times out. Here are a few tips I wanted share for a smoother plein air adventure: 1. Paint only what moves you Take time to observe the scene around you and be receptive to anything that grabs your attention. It could be the subject […]
My experiences with pochade boxes, in and out of the studio. Up and downs, and what I WISH I had bought.
I thought I'd post about the equipment I use for plein air painting. So I'm including a few pictures and will explain a little on what I […]
In this article, I will share with you my plein air setup for gouache.
Nicholas O'Leary pushes plein air painting to its limits by making works at the dead of night, deep in snow and out in the wilderness as well as capturing more traditional street scenes, summery coastlines and calming forests. His work encompasses a rare and incredibly skilled rendering of time and movement - we caught up with him to find out more about how his practice of painting outside has influenced his general views on painting.
Is there a “special secret” to creating great paintings? Maybe — see how Jeremy Sams came to plein air, what his advice is for others and more, in this Q&A.
