4 Reasons to paint plein air
Let’s talk about plein air painting. Some artists like to go on field trips to take photos and later return to the comfort of their own home or studio where they can paint from the previous taking photos. Others like to take their easels, brushes and watercolours with them to paint whilst on site. Both have their advantages and their limitations. This blog post is merely asking you to consider the benefits of plein air and try it if you haven’t already.
1. Colour comparison
When you’re painting in the open air and looking at your subject without the use of a screen, filter or any other colour masking device, it’s very difficult to argue that you could possibly get a more realistic interpretation of the colours available to you. The lighting you see whilst painting plein air is real. It’s exactly what’s actually there. No interpretations by cameras, no under-exposure… Just real life lighting.
2. Simplifying your painting process and techniques
When on site painting plein air, there are time restrictions. It could start to rain, the sun might hide behind a cloud and drastically change the lighting… Who knows what could happen! You’ll have far less time to paint in plein air when compared to studio settings, so its important to be able to paint accurately in less time.
3. Experiencing other senses and incorporating them into your painting
It’s important to be able to convey the feeling of the place you’re painting by incorporating things you wouldn’t necessarily see or feel if you were painting from a photo.
4. Enjoy your limited time here!
Our trips generally last about 10 days, so its super important to really enjoy your time while you’re here. Most of our guests have travelled from the other side of the world. It would be such a shame to sit in the studio all day every day painting when your time could be much better spent on enjoying painting on site. Have a look at our YouTube channel this summer and you’ll see some great shots of where we paint.
Have a look at some of the plein air locations we paint at here.
If you’ve got to the end of this article and you’re still not convinced on plein air painting, don’t fret. We also have an exclusive 24/7 studio for you to use whilst you’re here.