What is Plein Air? Plein air is a term derived from the French phrase en plein air, which literally means ‘in the open air’. It’s a familiar concept today, but in the late 1800s when the Impressionists ventured out of their studios into nature to investigate and capture the effects of sunlight and different times of days on a subject, it was quite revolutionary. Plein air painting used to be just a means to an end, with the artist painting small studies on location, to use the information gathered about color, shadow effects, etc. for a larger, elaborate painting that was going to be executed in the studio. Nowadays, however, it is a stand-alone art form and is used to produce finished paintings. It is quite an experience to be outside in nature, feeling the heat, the wind, hearing the birds and encountering wildlife, while trying to capture a scene on canvas. With the sun shifting - and thus changing the shadows and light effects - you only have a window of about 2-3 hours at most before the scene changes completely due to the natural course of the sun. So in addition to enduring heat or cold, wind, bugs, curious wildlife and/or tourists, you have a limited time frame to put down your artistic statement. |  I paint quite a bit throughout the year on location, so please explore all the different plein air galleries. 2009 Part 1 Plein Air 2009 - 1 2009 Part 2 Plein Air 2009 - 2 2010 Part 1 Plein Air 2010 - 1 2010 Part 2 |
