Posts Tagged ‘plein air painter’
The Undiscovered Plein Air Painter
Recently I came upon a discussion by some of the many million plein air painters who are trying to sell their art. All felt that selling was the key to a happy life.
However, others disagreed: Someone quoted a friend: “Paintings are sold when they are painted, not when they are sold.” “Why not just take the time to make better art?” suggested Robert. “An artist is one who creates art. Create the best art you are capable of creating, because you must, and for the joy and satisfaction of creating it. The rest will take care of itself.” said Carl. Deborah suggested Deborah Paris’ book, Studio & Business Practices for Successful Artists and can be found on her blog. Virginia mentioned Alyson Stanfield’s book, I’d Rather [Be?] in the Studio also that Stanfield has an informative blog. Lastly, Donald suggested that the books by Jack White, artist and author, are on Amazon as well as on his web site and are highly recommended.
On the Subject of Drawing
When I studied under Austin plein air painter Cassandra James, a daily assignment was to spend 15 minutes drawing. That seemed like such a small amount of time, but somehow I had a difficult time finding the time to do that. I have read that 15 minutes per day for 6 months will make an immense difference in one’s ability to draw.
Canadian painter Robert Genn has this to say: “I’ve encouraged both myself and others to experience the joy of drawing. It may be separate from painting, but it is certainly key to much that is great in painting. To find a line, to make it work, to really see it and know it holds life and energy or is pregnant with feeling, is to experience a kind of excitement that even sensitive observers cannot truly know. If only for the forward march of our own character, we need to fill our sketchbooks.”
The French Easel
If a plein air artist paints medium to large paintings, he/she usually uses a canvas for support and a French easel for painting. A French easel has three adjustable legs and holds paint, brushes, cups for medium and brush cleaner, a palette, paper towels, trash bag and an apron. It will also hold the painted canvas during transportation.
The French easel comes in full size and half size which is about 25% lighter. It can double as a studio easel if space at home is at a premium. It accommodates canvases of many sizes, including very large. It is relatively inexpensive but is heavy when loaded with supplies.
Home Again
Thursday afternoon I arrived back in Maryland! Although I enjoyed visiting with family and friends on my trip north, it was so good to be home after several days of traveling.
I know what I shall paint first! On my morning walk, there is one location where I can see a variety of trees, each a little taller than the one in front. I’ve looked at this scene often as I take my walk, but yesterday it was particularly appealing to this plein-air painter because each of those trees was a very different color – each was wearing its spring costume. One had flowers, one was dark red, one green, etc. So tomorrow, bright and early, I shall set up my easel and paint – even before I have seen my friends!
Linnea in Monet’s Garden
As a young girl, one of my favorite books was “Linnea in Monet’s Garden.” In tells the story of a young girl who accompanies her elderly neighbor to Paris to visit Monet’s garden. The simple storyline and ample photographs were a wonderful introduction to art, and particularly to the work of Claude Monet.
My parents also bought me a matching Linnea doll and I have watched the animated movie based on the book several times. I have introduced the book to my own young ones and they seem to love it just as much as I did. Actually, the book has inspired me to learn more about the plein air painter as well as his colleagues. Perhaps when my children are a bit older we too can visit Monet’s garden.
On Being Creative
Robert Genn, Canadian plein air painter, described his morning walk today. With his faithful dog, Dorothy, he walked through the fog and the forest, describing the damp forest floor, the songs of the birds and allowing Dorothy freedom to explore as she chose. He comments that our brains don’t do their best thinking when pressed into service or when called upon to produce. Better times for thinking, especially thinking ahead happens when we are walking, resting, or mildly engaged in something else – something pleasant, routine, distracting. The best ideas come in the second half of the walk.
One of his readers commented that the more he got out and rode his horse, the more productive he was. Even better were the ideas that came while he was cleaning the stalls. Another agreed that walking his dog by the beach each morning set the tone for the day. Another artist walks along the irrigation ditches in her area seeing raccoons, hawks, muskrats and coyotes, as well as beautiful cottonwood trees. I generally walk a mile before breakfast – to get my body in motion before my mind knows it’s awake! According to top psychologists as well as Henry David Thoreau, Robert Frost and William Wordsworth, taking time for a walk figures things out and adds joy and efficiency to the day ahead.
Remembering the Day
When Colorado plein air painter Michael Lynch looks at one of his paintings, he has something close to total recall of the world the moment he painted it, no matter how long ago it was. He recalls the sound of the breeze through the grass, the aggravation of gnats, the plane flying overhead, even what he had for dinner the previous night. Plein air painters often say they try to paint a landscape in a manner that lets you feel as well as see the scene, so it follows that the canvas holds a degree of sensory memory for the artist.
When I look at any of my paintings, I, also, remember the day it was painted, whom I was with, the temperature of the day and other things about the day. I can still feel that cold day in Montana when I first painted red tree trunks, that hot day in a park in Mexico when a large crowd watched me paint those 3 trees, and the feeling of the day for all the others as well.
Rain, again
It has been 2 weeks since I have painted outdoors with my friends. We did have a few other nice days that week, but we have had probably 10 days of rain in the last 2 weeks! Yesterday, the only sunny day in at least a week of rain, I just had to mow my grass and do yard work! It’s enough to make a plein air painter go stir crazy!
I did have time to do studio work – lots of that, not that I spent all that time in the studio, though. I still have some paintings to finish from my vacation in August, and one to finish from the Paint Out in Chincoteague, 2-3 weeks ago. I do paint the sides of the canvas, so that takes extra time to paint the top half and let it dry, then the bottom and let it dry. Sometimes I do the whole outside edge and let it dry flat on a cardboard for a few days. After that, it’s amazing how much time it takes to name and sign and wire it, give it a number, and attach a frame. I wouldn’t trade this life for any other, but I do hope the sun will come out again soon!
Multiple Avenues of Expression
For many years I found a creative outlet in painting. I would wake up early on weekend mornings and walk the short distance to a nearby park. There I would set up my easel and paint the slices of life that happened to come into view. Most of my artistic influences come from the realist school – I like to capture what’s actually there and allow the pictures to speak for themselves. In my view, it should be up to the viewer to form their own opinions and interpretations.
More recently, it struck me that painting is a medium that’s best suited for abstract or expressionist artists. As a realist, it was only natural that I should branch out into the world of photography. It allows me to move around and capture more images than I could ever hope to contain in a single painting. However, when I want to express myself creatively, I take up my old craft as a landscape painter.
Maryland
When I reached Maryland, I was still in the mountains. This is ski country in the winter and with wonderful vistas in the summer. I traveled over several mountains, some at 2700-2800 feet high. (These are not the Rockies, folks, but very old mountains.) What amazed me was that the Eastern Continental Divide was only 2600 feet high where I crossed it.
The most beautiful mountain was the last one I crossed – Sideling Mountain at 1269 feet. Here engineers have blasted through the rock and I could see the layers of various colors as the mountain had been pushed upward thousands of years ago. What a treat for a landscape painter like me!