En Plein Air Defined, An Explanation of Plein Air and Alla Prima Painting

"En plein air", the French term, means to paint outside in the open air. To paint all in one sitting either in the studio or outside is called "alla prima". Most plein air painting is done in one sitting, alla prima, but some artists continue to work on a single painting more than one day. This direct approach to painting was first done by the French Impressionists. Up until this time, painting was done in the studio over a period of time, often a romanticized view of nature. The "experience", their "impressions" of a scene are what the French Impressionists were after.

The camera was developed at this time. This gave artists and added tool, both good and bad. They could paint their "feelings", but still render detail in a painting. Some artists did and still do render a lot of detail in their paintings. The buying public has often thought that a detailed painting was a "perfect" redition of a scene. The artist can give a painting feeling and a soul that the camera cannot capture. Over the last 150 years art has fluctuated between "feelings" and "impressions" and slavishly rendered detail.

Most artwork falls somewhere in between. It can be a grand scene or intimate detail to express your "feelings". When communicating through art you may look for color, texture or contrast. The eye usually is attracted to light values. To follow through with your idea, you will first need to simplify, take out anything that isn't necessary. After deciding what your focal point is, you will squint at the scene. This simplifies the colors, details and values. The large masses form the basis of your composition. You then consider various design elements in the composition.

Once you are ready to start painting, most artists use thin paint to block in the painting. Some schools of thought block in the darks first, others paint shapes of colors, one next to the other. Then, you will move onto refining and details, which are a personal preference for the artist. The brushstrokes and/or the palette knife in the refining of the painting are as individual to the artist as handwriting is. This helps to define the artists' "style", which is another topic.

When I am plein air painting, I feel a rush, an excitement that I usually don't get in the studio. This helps to give my paintings "feelings" and an "impression" of the scene. The decisions I make help, or sometimes fail, to convey those emotions to the viewer.

Becky Joy is a nationally recognized artist specializing in sunsets, landscapes and still life oil paintings. Becky shares art tips, painting demonstrations and art business tips on her blog. http://beckyjoy.com/

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See Desert Plein Air Painters on Your Next Trip to Palm Springs

Every spring fifty plein air painters from as far away as Maryland and Pennsylvania converged on the intimate little desert town of La Quinta were a group of talented artists painted for six days at Desert Plein Air where they each competed for prizes as well as the opportunity to exhibit and sell their work.

Some of the week-long series of events included a Quick Draw Competition, the Grand Unveiling at the Hyatt Hall of Champions in Palm Desert and the two-day Umbrella Show.

This amazing program has given artists from around the country a platform to show their work. Sponsored by the City of La Quinta and the Laguna Plein Air Painters, a portion of the proceeds are donated each year to benefit the La Quinta Foundation, a non profit charitable organization that is dedicated to providing education, art and cultural opportunities for children, youth and adults.

Once inside the event, there were lines of paintings filling the room as patrons got the opportunity to view the still wet pieces of artwork as well as sharing a chat or two with the artist as they enjoyed the delicious gourmet spread that was served. There were awards for Best of the Show along with overall awards of excellence and the Quick Draw Award.

When the exhibition took a break, then it was time for lectures on such topics as the life of an artist and the work that is produced from past artists. The lecture series has included suck speakers/painters as Karl Dempwolf, Nikki Basch Davis, Camille Przewodek, Charles Waldman, and Tom Zephyrs to name a few.

The hectic schedule that was non-stop from day one concluded for the artists with the Umbrella Show. Here they were able to exhibit new work as well as recent paintings, allowing the casual observer a full array of portraits. Rows upon rows of booths were resurrected for the occasion in the colorful and fruitful gardens were the waterfalls displayed the flowing crystal clear waters. Some of the creations included deep deserts, towering mountains in full scope, scenes of produce fields that depicted the Coachella Valley lifestyle, of course the incredible Joshua Tree National Monument, the array of life at the Living Desert, and the whitewashed adobe architecture that is a signature of the Palm Springs-Palm Desert landscape.

Those that love art and look for life inspiration are best served to make the Desert Plein Air event a must on their next trip to Palm Springs and the California desert resort cities.

Mitchell Sussman has been a television producer for the past twenty five years. In that time he has produced adventure travel programming for such networks as Travel Channel, PBS, Fox Sports Net, Star TV and many others.

Mitchell is also a contributing editor to a website that provides information about and is a portal to hotels, golf, attractions, restaurants and events in Palm Springs and the California desert resort cities http://www.palmspringsvacationdiscounts.com/

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The Plein Air Critique - It's a Bonus!

A plein air (French for "open air") painter attends a workshop for a variety of reasons. Perhaps for the purpose of improving his/her painting skills, have long periods of quality time in which to paint, or perhaps just to get away from the routine of daily life and get a fresh perspective on his/her work.

As the workshop begins, the instructor has the class members introduce themselves. He/she then gives an overview of the class, any special instructions and a demonstration related to the lesson of the day. The members are then free to choose their location within a given area and paint until lunch time.

After lunch and perhaps a rest time, it's time to paint again until, say, 4 pm when the class assembles for critique. The class members are expected to bring the paintings they have been working on during that day, whether or not they are finished.

"Critique" can be a scary word, especially for the uninitiated. "But," you say, "my painting is so bad that I don't want everyone looking at it". Let me tell you, there are others in the class feeling the same way. Besides, just as any 10th grader knows, you have to go through grades 1 - 9 to get there, so every advanced artist had to go through the beginning steps to get where he/she is today.

Here are the positives: There are others in the class, some more learned than you, some less. All come from different backgrounds and experiences and have differing amounts of talent. You can learn a great deal just by looking at their paintings and listening to the critiques given to them by the class. You can learn to see the strong parts and weak parts of their paintings. You can learn to understand the comments given by the class and how to improve the weak parts. You can learn that the comments are given in a kind and positive manner. In this process you are training your own eye to see the strong and weak parts of your own painting and to see the way an artist sees.

When it is your turn to show your painting(s), you will see them in a whole new light. It is amazing the ideas people will have for you to improve your work. You will be subject to ideas that you never would have discovered by yourself and all will be given in an empathetic and positive manner. You will have learned ways to improve your skills and you will be so happy you took the risk of showing your work.

At Mary's Art, Inc. we have a large variety of original hand painted oil paintings on canvas. These inexpensive, colorful paintings were created en plein air (French for "open air") to capture the spirit and emotions of nature and bring them to you for your enjoyment. They are modern in style, somewhat abstract, and with expressionism overtones. Please visit http://www.murphyartstudio.com/ and find paintings you will love.

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Plein Air Painting Is for Me!

The fact the I am a painter is a miracle! All my life I have studied the sciences and never took one art lesson until five years before I retired. Now, however, I love painting en plein air (French for "open air"), traveling and meeting new people.

When I was a child, we lived on a small acreage with a wooded area on a back corner. Occasionally, I visited that area and enjoyed seeing the different plants and shrubs and how the sun danced on the leaves. Perhaps that is when I learned to love trees. Much later I had a wonderful opportunity to take free art lessons at the nearby university. When I moved away, I went to the local gallery and continued with lessons. Several years later I moved to Maryland where I met plein air painters. We actually took our easels out to a field, set up, and I was overwhelmed! What do I put on my 8" x 10" canvas from that vast array of scenery? At the same time, I was hooked! It was exciting to be out of doors. As the poet said, "It doesn't matter whether I got bee stings or sunburn, lost my brush or my picture didn't turn out well, I still had a great day." Now I enjoy beautiful trees everywhere, but when I want to paint, I look for those which grew in an irregular fashion or have seen many years of wind and storms, perhaps losing limbs in the process. Those are the ones that speak to me so I set up my easel and we have a face-to face conversation.

Many opportunities for travel have presented themselves to me since I began painting. I have ridden on horseback to paint the mountains of Montana, loved the trees in Mexico that are trimmed to look like huge barrels, and a wide variety of trees in Texas, North Carolina, Ohio, Florida and Maryland. In traveling throughout the country, I have noticed that different areas have trees unique to that area, except for pine and oaks which seem to be prolific everywhere from Florida to Montana.

Another benefit of being a plein air painter is that I meet such wonderful and interesting people. I have met them during those travels and workshops as well as when I am at home doing shows and hanging art in my local library and art galleries.

When a painting is finished and hangs on my wall, I look at it and am in-the-moment with it. I remember the day precisely when it was made, the temperature, the work I did to get there, the fun I had painting it, and the problems I had finishing it or whether it just painted itself. And when it sells, I'm rewarded monetarily for doing something I love!

At Mary's Art, Inc. we have a large number of original hand painted oil paintings on canvas. These inexpensive colorful paintings were created en plein air (French for "open air") to capture the emotions of nature and bring them to you for your enjoyment. The paintings are modern in style, somewhat abstract and with expressionism overtones. Please visit http://murphyartstudio.com/ and find paintings you love.

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Plein Air Artist Workshop - What to Take and What to Expect Once You Get There

The purpose of going to any workshop is to get away from the daily routine, find new ideas, meet new people, go to a new or different place and come home refreshed, inspired and eager to resume life again. That truly happens when the teacher is sensitive to the needs of each workshop participant, gives demonstrations appropriate to the needs of the class and the participant is open-minded and willing to change.

The artist who paints en plein air, a French term meaning "open air", is one who takes his/her easel to a location and paints some of the scenery. One question arises: Why subject oneself to sunburn, bug bites and the whims of nature when it would be easier to take a photo and sit in a comfortable studio and create the painting? It would, but the painting will not have the energy and feeling of one created on site. Photos are great references, but do not show the depth of field that one can see when out of doors.

Most plein air artists use oils for their paintings, although a few use watercolors and acrylics and even fewer use pastels. We will limit our discussion here to oil painters. If the artist prefers to use a small support, say 4" x 6" to 11" x 14", he/she often uses a Pochade box. This is a small box which contains paint, an area with adjustable clips which holds the support (usually a canvas board or other board), palette, brushes, and a place to store the wet painting during transportation. Pochade boxes come in various sizes and sit on an adjustable tripod. They are light but relatively expensive. The artist might also bring another bag for tripod, paper towels, apron, brush cleaner and a trash bag.

If the artist uses larger supports, she will generally use canvas and a French easel. Inside this easel is room for paints, brushes, brush cleaner, palette, paper towels, trash bag and apron. It has three legs that open, are adjustable, and support the easel for the standing or sitting user. It will also carry the wet painting even if it is very large. A French easel is heavy when loaded with supplies, but relatively inexpensive.

To transport your paintings back home if you paint small, separate cardboard boxes are available for transporting wet paintings and will store several paintings at once. If you paint on canvas and all the canvases are the same size, one method is to put push pins in, say, the upper left and lower right corners of each canvas, put the canvases face to face and tape the corners together using masking tape. Then put them back in the original boxes. (You may have leftover canvases as not as many will fit in the boxes now that push pins are between them.)

Typically, the day will begin with the class assembling and each person introducing themselves. The teacher will give an overview of the class, where it will meet and the time, and do a demonstration illustrating the lesson of the day. Afterward, the members are free to choose their location within a given area and begin painting.

At first this is somewhat overwhelming because the artist might have and 8" x 10" canvas board on which to paint and a panorama of sights from which to choose a scene. To make it easier, the artist has a few choices. She can make a few sketches in her sketch book as to how she thinks the scene will look when painted. She can also use a view finder which will block out all but the desired scene and move it around to get the optimum positioning. The view finder can be as humble as putting one's thumbs and forefingers together to make an opening approximately the shape of her support, or as complicated as a small plastic with a slide that alters the shape of the view from rectangular to square, depending on the shape of the artist's support.

Often the workshop instructor visits each painter once or twice during each session to offer suggestions. After all, he/she wants the painter to be pleased with the finished product. If the instructor has a critique session each day, that's a bonus! Each member of the workshop has a chance to comment on all the paintings created. A critique session can prove to be very helpful to the artist because the many members of the workshop often have ideas that are totally new to the artist. If comments are offered in a positive manner, the workshop participant can go home refreshed and inspired and eager to begin painting.

At Mary's Art, Inc. we have a large variety of original hand painted oil paintings on canvas. these inexpensive, colorful paintings were created en plein air (French for "open air") to capture the feelings and emotions of nature and bring them to you for your enjoyment. They are modern in style, somewhat abstract, and with expressionism overtones. Please visit http://www.murphyartstudio.com/ and find paintings your whole family will love.

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