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Hello Friends of Art, 

Here we are in March of 2017 with the weather as strange as ever but just great for Plein Air Painters like you and I. If you are not yet a Plein Air painter you do not know what you are missing. Maybe you are not aware of the Plein Air trend, well let me explain. First the words Plein Air are French and their meaning in English is "To paint on location out doors". If you have ever seen an artist with a easel standing or sitting painting out side that is known as Plein Air. Usually it will take anywhere from 1 hour to 3 hours to create a painting depending on the subject and size of the canvas. The method or style is generally direct paint from the beginning to the end, this is the same method used by the impressionist in Europe and here in the USA. Artist of California and New York have been painting in this way since the late 1890's, especially artist who went to Paris, France to study.

So why Plein Air and why not paint in the studio from photographs? Simple as this, you have the advantage a continuing view which will not stay the same, the light will change which changes the color. This allows you to ad and subtract, update, and allows life to walk in and out. Remember a photograph is capturing a second of your view of a subject and unless the photo is a super shot it leaves you limited to one view.

So let me leave it there, until you go out and actually try Plein Air you will not know how great it is. Say La Vi all.

P/S: I will be painting Plein Air on Feb. 22nd in Panama City, FL. with the Beach Art Group and in April on the 6th I will be painting as Monet in Tallahassee, FL. at Goodwood Manor. Anyone interested let me know. Stay tuned for future up date events.