A beginner's guide...
So, if you are not an artist, you may be wondering, "What's the big deal about this 'plein air' stuff?"
Or you may even be asking yourself "What the heck is she talkin' about?"
Well, Plein Air is simply a snazzy French phrase that translates as "plain air." And to paint en plein air simply means to paint outside.
You betcha. Artists had to find a way to make battling weather, mosquitoes, ticks, and changing light conditions sound romantic, right?
Yet, even though, as artists, we've been able to decide collectively upon a name for painting in the great outdoors, we rarely approach painting en plein air in the same way.
Our reasons and expectations for painting outdoors are uniquely our own.
So why do I paint plein air and what do I personally hope to accomplish when doing so?
Well, I'm glad you asked. I definitely have a number of reasons for painting plein air:
I love being outside and painting on location is fun.
Plein Air Painting pushes me. I'm ultimately a better painter because I spent time painting on location. After all, there is no substitute for "seeing" your composition in person. No matter how amazing a camera, it still cannot capture color and variation the way the human eye can.
I love to travel... but you already figured that out.
Painting outdoors and on location is kind of a "right of passage" for an artist. The masters painted on location and therefore, I personally feel I have not arrived as an artist if I don't attempt to follow in their footsteps. ;-)
What do I hope to accomplish when I paint outdoors?
Well, on a really good day, when everything falls into place, I'd like to think I can walk away with a fully realized painting. But to be perfectly honest, that doesn't happen as often as I'd like.
I suppose you might/could say that painting plein air is a little like fishing. Everyone dreams of the big catch. Some even chase Moby Dick.
But most artists settle for a beautiful day out on the water and are happy when we "catch" something worth keeping.
And so, my goal as a painter is to simply capture as much of what I see by way of color and light.
Oh, and I also want to record that certain je ne sais quois... In other words, I wish to paint what I experience (or the emotions I have) when I view the world from behind my easel.
Sometimes, I have time to set up a proper outdoor easel and paint with my beloved oils on linen board.
However, if we are passing through an area and time is short, I will rely on pen and paper or watercolor paint to help me capture a "memory" of what I see and experience.
Almost all of the work that I do outside finds its way back to my studio where I use these outdoor studies to inform and inspire larger paintings.
So how does all of this impact how we plan to renovate our RV?
Well, given that I hope to create paintings both inside and outside as we "easel on down the road," we need to plan our renovation accordingly.
Obviously, we will need storage for my painting supplies and equipment. And we will create as much free floor space within the RV as possible for a streamlined, indoor "studio" set-up that I can use whenever the weather doesn't cooperate.
But believe it or not, there is much more to consider.
For this reason, as I begin to lay out design boards and plans over the next few weeks here on the blog, I will be talking about both how we like to live as well as how I like to work.
Both our living and working needs will definitely affect the design decisions that we make...but how about we save the nitty-gritty discussion of that for next time?
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