5 Tips to Take with You on Your PleinAir Adventure
You are someone who loves to create and has spent some time creating art in the comfort of your own home. The thing is, you also really love being outside, so you decide to bring your art to the outdoors, or what the French like to call “en plein air”.
Painting outside is very different from painting in your studio. In the studio you need to battle with yourself, something you do have a level of control over. When you go out into nature you are now facing new elements that are beyond your control like the sun, rain, wind, and my favorite, curious humans.
These new factors can be extremely uncomfortable and frustrating, but as with all things in life, practice makes perfect, and the more often you try, the more comfortable you will be with it. For those of you who are uncertain of doing plein-air alone, I am including 5 tips that I take with me every time I go outside to paint.
Check Off Before You Take Off
Before you venture out, make a checklist of the art supplies you will need to take with you. If you forget some items like paper towels, water, or sunscreen, you may be able to pick those up from the store along the way, but most of the essential tools you need for your art are not so easy to replace.
I remember the very first time that I went out to a four-day painting retreat, I left my artbox behind. I was extremely fortunate that I had a family member heading in my direction so I was saved. By checking off your list before you go you will avoid unnecessary setbacks and can jump right into your work.
Location Location Location!
When you are going out to paint for the first few times, it’s going to be really uncomfortable, depending what kind of a person you are. For your first outing, I would recommend going to a spot that has the subject you are most familiar with painting. If you paint hills, go to the hills, if you enjoy painting buildings, go to a charming downtown, if you are confident with your ocean painting, go to an ocean, lake, or river, etc.
Even though I absolutely enjoy soaking in an ocean view, I know that I am not confident about painting oceans because I just do not have a lot of experience painting them.
It’s true that as artists we benefit from attempting any subject, but if you have the choice of your first plein-air locations, why not go somewhere that feels familiar to paint? Once you get the hang of painting outside, you will be ready to step outside your comfort zone further and attempt more challenging subjects.
Breathing is Your Best Friend
I would say that a lot of artists are introverted types and I would further say that introverts can have a tendency to experience some level of social anxiety. If you are that person, I would suggest going to a quieter (and safe) place to paint. Even in a quiet setting you will stand out and a few people may walk up to you for a little tête-à-tête.
No matter how focused you think you appear, people will still come up behind you and make comments like “beautiful work”. I have even had a few people excuse themselves and ask to take my picture. Or what sometimes can feel worse is if you can hear people walk up to view your work only to walk away without a word. With a downcast spirit you look at your painting with added judgement, see it for the mess it must be, and begin to feel like a fool for being there.
When I am in this situation, my heart races, I no longer can really see what I’m painting, and I can’t remember how to paint. What do I do? I breathe, and I think positively - I’m breathing and I am doing just fine. I am here for myself and not for anyone else. I am going to put another brush stroke down. I am in no rush. Breathing and bringing God into the moment helps me to slow down and execute painting without self-judgment.
Eventually, painting starts to feel like a simple task not unlike doing the dishes. Now we’re scrubbing, now we’re rinsing, now I’m picking up my sky color, now I’m placing it on the canvas. This helps me get back into my art space and I am able to let go of the world and focus on the task at hand. I feel calmer, and when I feel calmer I am more open to receive kind passersby who are just thrilled to see an artist at their work. They don’t need to know how good of an artist you are. Just the sight of you at your easel brings them much joy, and I like to hold on to this as I smile back.
Let Go of Painting Something Grand
As artists we know that we are not always going to create a masterpiece every time we set to work in the studio. It is no different in the outside world. In fact, I would say that it is even harder to paint a masterpiece outside with all of its natural distractions. In our studio we can wipe away a bad painting and no one is the wiser, but outside we have witnesses which can make the stakes feel higher.
The sooner you toss out the need to create a masterpiece, the sooner you can play with paint and enjoy the moment. Maybe you walk away with a fresh sketch that will inspire you when you return to your studio, maybe you have an okay painting that you can finish later, or just maybe you can appreciate the lessons you learned during your plein-air exercise that you will be able to apply on your next adventure.
Don’t Give Up On Your Dream
Even with all the helpful tips you can find on the web, it is likely that your first plein-air experience will be rather horrid, stressful, and full of inward (or not so inward) tears because mine was. My final tip to you is “don’t give up”. Even after your first rotten experience, go again. Go a few more times after that before you decide never to paint outside again. Always hold in mind the reason why you went out in the first place.
When you feel your feet dragging your art supplies to the car remember your goal. When you arrive at your location and you feel tempted to go back, remember your goal. You want to be able to paint where you experience inspiration first-hand, right? Keep trying, keep challenging yourself, and keep learning. You will gain confidence. You will start to enjoy the process, and before you know it, you will be a plein-air artist.
