What’s so important about plein air painting?

 June 23, 2010

    I am just about to head off to the Zapata Ranch for the annual Artists’ Gathering. This year we will number about 30 artists! That’s kind of a crowd, but will add to the fun and sharing atmosphere. I’ll rise at the crack of dawn to head out for some early light, return for a shower and breakfast then out again even though the light becomes flat. There are lots of old buildings with large overhanging roofs which can provide some nice dark shadows even at noon, so that will be a concentration through the noon hours. If the light is good before dinner, I’ll paint again, but sadly, painting after dinner is difficult….. by the time I eat and gather my gear it is approaching sunset which lasts only minutes. The days will fly by as I attempt to paint 3-4 paintings a day (small ones mind you) and all too soon I will be in the car heading back home.

Zapata Barns 6 x 12 Oil (plein air0

This is one of my “right after lunch” plein air paintings from the Zapata Ranch last year. The sun was so bright and hot it seemed to shimmer off the foreground grasses – somewhat like a mirage. You wouldn’t have seen that in a photograph, but hopefully you would remember it if you chose to paint this in the studio.

   So you ask, “What is all this interest in plein air painting really about?”  “Why do artists endure less than hospitable conditions to paint a scene they could just as well have taken a photo of?”  “Why paint under these conditions when a photograph will give you detailed information?”

  Over and over again, as you know, I express my dissatisfaction with photographs. Not only is the color incorrect, but they’re also so sterile.  Where is the heat or chill, the rain and wind? Where are the annoying bugs and the wild or domestic animals (including passers by) poking their noses into your space? Where is the dash-for-cover-as-the-thunderstorm-arrives-unannounced? Where is the trickling sweat annoyingly dripping off your nose or the feet gone numb from the cold? A photo has no feel of a place, no soul reaching out to the artist. Oh yes, it’s all available as you take the photo, but to keep all that subjective emotion on the tip of your brush when you paint from a photo is difficult at best. To really capture the essence or soul of what you are painting then all of these ambient facts must come into play. When you plein air paint – it’s all right there IN-YOUR-FACE.   

  But that’s not all……color value and temperature are skewed in a photograph so now for the plein air artist it’s even more about what you see and feel right now – not what you think you see or what your camera sees.

  Imagine it this way. Say you go on vacation in Italy. One day in the countryside you come upon this amazing group of old stone buildings half hidden in greenery, misty hills in the distance fading off into the yellow sky. The fragrance of olive wood hangs heavy in the air and a light breeze kicks up the occasional falling leaf. The memory of a marvelous lunch, accompanied by a fine wine, still haunts your taste buds. A perfect day, a perfect scene filled with all the best life can offer. You get home and rush to look at the photos of that perfect day. BUT, the sky appears a washed-out blue, the buildings have trash and unrecognizable objects directing your attention. The greens all look like the same color of green and the dirt looks like dirt especially with the low contrast from the stark, mid-day sunlight.   You simply cannot count on a photograph to give you the real experience. Life gives you the experience and we use the photo to stimulate our memory of the emotion we felt at the time. 

  So….we artists plein air paint because these paintings, if done with our eyes and hearts wide open, are true representations of the ‘event’ in color, ambience and mood. We leave out the trash, we see the 100’s of colors of green, we feel the yellow sky, we paint in the experience in subtle shifts of light, contrast and temperature and we bask in our joy of the day regardless of the inconveniences of setting up under difficult conditions. These paintings may not all be masterpieces, but they are the true depth of reference for us when we return to the studio.

  Today’s reality brings me back to the studio works that rest on the easel where many pieces remain unfinished, as you can see above. I long to return to the day these photos were taken, to re-experience my joy and thoughts as I photographed. My well exercised memory brings back most of what I need, but sometimes I think what I am painting is not quite right and I fight my inner artist for honesty. As you can see, the timing is perfect for my return to plein air painting, the effects of which will last me until next spring when the stirrings inside my psyche once again bring me outside to paint.

  Excuse me if you think I am taking the micky out of photographs or photographers.  Maybe I should just preface the word photo and camera with the word "MY" to keep everything clear.  

 Thanks for your interest.  I'll be anxious to share the Zapata Ranch experience with you on my return.

  Don't forget to check out my Wet Paint page to see the progress on painting not shown here!

  Happy Painting!

  Ginger