I’m learning about plein air painting. I’m quite good at painting in acrylic from photographs in a studio setting. I’m also good at painting with oils in a studio setting where there is time for the painting to dry in between sessions. In these two instances, I usually build up the painting in layers from what is behind to what is in front, form the general to the specific. As the paint dries, I can add lights or darks where needed, or I can change the colour completely by just painting over what I had already painted.

Example of a painting painted in acrylic from a photograph, not plein air, but in my comfort zone.

Now I’m learning to paint outdoors and complete a painting in one session, though I have realized that need to give myself more time for this to happen. The challenge is to move the still wet paint around on your canvas without muddying up what you have already laid down.

Another difference between painting out doors, or en plein air, is that you see the world differently in real life than when looking at a photograph. A photo is a 2-D representation of reality, a simplification, all the information is there to look at. I can zoom in if I need to see details. There is a single perspective, the composition is complete, and it has borders around it, it ends. In real life, objects are three dimensional and the perspective changes when you move from one spot to another. When you move, you’re moving your built in camera, your eyes, from spot to spot and this changes the perspective.

While standing in front of your canvas outdoors, you need to mentally decide where the boundaries of your painting will be. How much will fit on my canvas? When I look up or to the sides, I see so much, but do I need to include that in my painting? Where in the plane of my canvas, does an object begin and end? Do I cut off the top of the tree or do I paint the whole tree? Will that look too static? If I start too big, the tree won’t fit, if I start it too small, will the surrounding area pull focus? There are so many compositional decisions to make when painting outdoors. Then there is the ever changing light, from clouds coming and going, to the sun changing positions in the sky so that all of the shadows also change, as does the warmth or coolness of the colours. It takes practice to learn how to paint outdoors well.

I struggled with the painting below of the pond more than with the following painting of the single tree. I think I may need to simplify my subject matter while I’m learning so many new things. Despite the learning curve, I’m finding that I really enjoy painting from real life in the outdoors. It’s a different experience to painting from a photo indoors. More visceral. I like that.

I started this painting last week and it got quite chilly outside, so I will finish this at home. I enjoyed the painting session until towards the end, when I became too cold and also frustrated with the changing light in the pond. Then I quickly smeared part of the water area together and then I wasn’t sure if that was an improvement or not. I realized that I should just stop painting and continue when my mind is more relaxed and focused again. Painting through frustration can be a dangerous thing as you may impulsively execute quick strokes or add colours that you might regret later. Which is not the end of the world, but sometimes it’s better to just stop and take a break.

It was such a beautiful day in a beautiful garden, and I wanted to capture that moment. This painting is to be continued!

I really enjoyed painting this tree. When a painting is taken indoors after painting in the bright light of the day, it looks a bit duller at home. I will likely add a few highlights so that it looks as bright as in the last photo. I was really happy with the look of spontaneity in the painting, the freshness.