“The French term “en plein air” means out of doors and refers to the practice of painting or drawing outdoors on location, just like the Group of 7 did!!”
What is Plein Air Painting?
The Beginnings of Plein Air Painting
History
Pre 1900’s artists have gone out into the landscape to create preparatory sketches and studies of their subjects which would then be used in the studio to create finished works. Today we enjoy the convenience and sheer joy of creating finished pieces outdoors due to the invention of paints in tubes and the development of lightweight portable easels both allowing artists to leave the studio and create works entirely en plein air.
John Constable a UK painter in the early 1800’s is credited as the initial pioneer of plein air painting. However the Impressionist movement of the early 1860’s led by Monet popularized the practice of painting en plein air and brought the work to the public domain.
While traditionally, plein air work is created to express the view before the painter in a representational manner, modern day techniques and ideas have developed plein air work to include a great variety of mediums such as collage, textile and printmaking and artistic approaches including abstract, expressionism, and surrealism. There is a place for every artist in the plein air world.
“Plein air painting allows you to experience your subject in a way that can add emotion and depth to your work when you include it as part of your existing creative practice.”
Why create Art en Plein Air?
If you’ve never tried working en plein air, you may wonder what the appeal is?
Certainly, dealing with the environmental elements of wind, sun/rain, cold/heat are difficult enough on their own. Add to that, setting up your art materials along the Niagara Escarpment or another breath-taking view and then determining a composition, mixing your paints, and working in full view of any passer-by…
It isn’t for the faint-hearted. However, it does encourage you to become braver about your creative process. Capturing a scene as it plays before you in real-time while you hear the birds sing, watch the trees sway in the wind and feel the sun on your face soon becomes an experience you’ll want to repeat again and again. Of course, not every plein air outing is successful. Some failure is always expected, even in a studio situation. But the resulting work that you create while experiencing firsthand your subject matter is always fresh, vibrant and alive!
Working from life – live models – is the best way to improve your creative and observational skills as an artist. When you paint in your studio you have control over your environment – usually. This means you can focus solely on the mark making. But that still photo cannot provide you with the emotional experience of “being there”. Plein air painting is challenging, fun, frustrating, exhilarating, and memorable. Every piece you create en plein air will tell a story. And each outing will become a personal memory and an experience to share with those who appreciate your work.
It’s important to note, while those with mobility issues may not be able to access difficult wilderness trails, you will certainly still be able to experience plein air painting in many parks, urban trails and city streets.
