Discover the Benefits of Plein Air Painting

Submitted by Susanne Reese, Nevada Wild Art, Basin to Range Exchange

A talented trio of professional painters living in Elko County introduced me to the benefits of Plein Air Painting. “Plein Air” is not a particular style of painting. Painting en plein air is a French term or expression meaning to paint in open air. Plein Air artwork is fun and mentally absorbing. It can be sociable. It gets you out of the studio and into fresh air. It is a great way to slow down and record the experience of seeing with the human eye. 

Painting is an excellent activity to do while traveling. It is fun to combine it with long trail hikes to places of great natural beauty. Other benefits are much more subtle. Perhaps the greatest benefit is in developing the ability to convey the feeling of the place you are painting. Plein Air painting adds life, passion, energy and reality to your artwork. 

Painters appreciate the joys and reward of being outdoors; the fluctuating sense of the motion of the air, sounds of birds, the breeze in the leaves, waves, distant human or animal activity, associated smells of the earth. These change with the time of the day and month of the year. To paint outside, a person is more aware of the changing light, shadows, and weather. Whether you capture those elements in your painting or not, your artwork contains the memory of being there and develops your ability to convey the feeling of the place you are painting. 

Your focus and that meditation are of great importance. Being in the environment of your subject is in itself an inspiration that is difficult to duplicate. Because it has to be done quickly, Plein Air painting improves the artist’s speed and assurance, color mixing skills and brushwork. By stepping away from the static environment of the studio and relying on real-world observation, artists are better able to feel the landscape and understand the visual details in an elemental way.

Experts say there are definite benefits of painting outdoors that strengthen any artist’s natural ability and heighten their talents in amazing ways. You do not have the luxury of time. The ever-changing light, wind and weather conditions can be quite frustrating at first. Concentration and problem solving are much like hunting or rock climbing. You learn to make quick, meaningful decisions which add to the joy of the experience. Learning from the experience can give depth to your thoughts, which in turn, enriches your finished painting. 

You learn to simplify your painting process and technique as you improve your ability to paint accurately in a shorter time frame. You find your brush strokes become easier and looser and more comfortable. Painting outdoors teaches you to improve your ability to mix and compare colors to those of nature. You can study first hand how light behaves in diverse situations.

We all seem to rush outdoors with a camera to creatively snap a few beautiful landscapes, but you may be missing the most beneficial and mentally healthful rewards of practicing and exercising your creative intelligence and skills. Put a lightweight and simple painting kit together. Perhaps begin with paints, smaller canvases, a couple of brushes, paper towels, a board or easel and repositionable painter’s tape. You will be rewarded with an immersive experience.