There is a growing interest in outdoor painting because it allows
people to combine their interest in art with general outdoor activities;
it connects them with social groups of artists; it involves them in an
expanding market of festivals and exhibitions; and it can easily fit
into a busy routine with only a few hours' commitment per week.
Spring is the perfect time to go outside and experience the wonders of
nature through painting, even if social distancing. Plein air painting,
the art of painting outdoors, offers possibilities artists can't find
inside the studio.
When painters set up easels outside, they put themselves in direct
contact with nature. Responsiveness to the landscape's changing light,
forms, and colors yields work that's lively and spontaneous. However,
plein air painting also poses a set of challenges not encountered in the
studio. There are matters of choosing a location, rationing the number
of supplies to bring, working within a time limit, adjusting to sudden
changes in weather, and possibly even testing physical endurance when
transporting equipment to a painting site.
The Art of Plein Air Painting presents the full picture of what painting
en plein air requires. Devoted plein air artist M. Stephen Doherty
guides readers through how to choose the best spot, which materials and
tools to bring, and the basics of mixing colors and preparing canvases
and panels ahead of time. Sidebars and step-by-step demonstrations cover
topics that range from sketching out a composition to starting a
painting with washes or lines, toning a surface, and doing a cityscape.
Doherty even teaches how to do a nocturne - a painting made after the
sun has gone down.
Works by famous plein air painters, such as Claude Monet and John Singer
Sargent, are discussed, along with works by some of today's best plein
air artists. Doherty interviews contemporary masters Mark Boedges, Clyde
Aspevig, Kathryn Stats, Michael Godfrey, Joseph McGurl, and Clive C.
Tyler to gain a deeper insight into the plein air process. Finally, the
book contains information on plein air events - workshops, county
festivals, and juried shows - now being held across North America, as
well as advice on selling finished work.
