One of the coolest things you can do as an artist is to have a go at working 'en plein-air'. The french term used for painting outdoors. trust the French to bring all things amazing about painting in one neat little package. The feeling of being outdoors in nature, the added benefit of going out with fellow friends or students and the flow of coffee and snacks as you work away the morning or afternoon's light.
This weekend we stayed local and took the students down to the local Kingscliff Creek and boat shed. We were rewarded with lovely layers of greenery and as the tide went down, the emerging sandbanks added contrasting colours and a muted sky.
Each time I've painted in this way whilst travelling I am struck by how much more you absorb about a place. Instead of hopping out of the car and taking a picture and maybe eating an apple to absorb a view. You get 3-4 hours of studying the landscape. You notice more. Things change. Light moves across the landscape changing the atmosphere and the colours. Local animals sneak out for a peek at what you are doing. I always leave a place after painting feeling like I really know that place and have honoured its beauty by capturing it so carefully.
It's not always so romantic however. You have to pick your weather, too much wind and you will be hanging onto your easel. Too much sun and you will be sunburnt and hot. Too slow on the paints and you will lose the lovely shadows or light that attracted you t the spot in the first place!
But the rewards are immense. There's something fresh about a painting done en plein-air. The colours are more accurate and a good painter will capture the feeling of a place well beyond any camera.
I encourage you all to head painting outdoors. Join a plein-air group or take your paints outdoors and have a go.