Posts Tagged ‘plein air painter’
Let Nature Be Your Muse
While I was driving home yesterday down a snaking road bisecting a densely packed forest, it dawned on me how little time I actually spend in nature. Most of my time is spent behind a keyboard or a steering wheel, and while I have the opportunity to enjoy the Pacific Northwest landscape on weekends, there is an undeniable disconnect from nature. And this trend is the norm in American society.
I often wish that I had the time and freedom to venture into nature and create some form of art, such as an open air painter. And while nature is obviously an ideal muse for painting, it has also sparked the creative sprit of many great writers and other types of artists, including Thoreau, Tolstoy and even bands like Led Zeppelin.
Plein Air Painters
When I think of artists, I tend to think of conflicted individuals confined to an isolated studio somewhere. This imagery is certainly true for some artists, but it is by no means the only model. Many artists go into nature to find inspiration from the world around them.
These plein air painters are definitely a different breed. In my experience, their work generally displays more color and a sense of uplifting than their indoor counterparts. While you may assume that plein air artwork simply portrays landscapes and run-of-the-mill depictions of nature, many of the pieces are abstract and atypical.