PAINTING EN PLEIN AIR
My first experience painting in the field didn't go well. I was a freshman in art school and our professor rounded us up, herded us into a van, and drove us to a farm nestled in the foothills of a nearby mountain. It was a beautiful location and there were plenty of vistas to paint. But the beautiful scenery just made it more frustrating. I was surprised at how different painting in the field was than painting in the studio and the difference overwhelmed me.
It was my first disappointing experience with field painting, or painting en plein air as the French say, and I had bitten off more than I could chew. Years later I discovered that this is a common experience, that few neophytes find painting en plein air to be a natural gift. Later I realized how unlikely it was that such a difficult skill could be acquired without preparation.
Via a careful analysis of why painting en plein air is so hard a remedial course can be formulated that will help you in your transition from studio to field. It is unlikely that this method will suit everyone, because everyone's weaknesses are different, but the challenges of painting in the field are similar enough that these methods should be helpful to most.
WHY PAINTING EN PLEIN AIR IS SO HARD
The best studio lighting is lighting that remains constant. Some artists go to great lengths to have Northern light in their studios. Northern light is considered best because it is the most constant. Others prefer the absolute constancy of artificial light. This constancy of lighting is enhanced by the use of source material, such as photographs or a still life set up, which are not subject to the changing lights of nature (direct light from the constantly moving sun or shifting reflected light).
Painting en plein air requires painters to deal with changing light. Typically a painter will spend two to three hours painting one scene. In that time the light can change quite drastically. Additionally, there can be multiple distractions. When you're frantically trying to record the darks and lights of your scene as the sun is changing, as mosquitoes and flies buzz around your palette, and, depending on your location, there could also be people milling about.
ACCEPT REALITY
It is helpful when painting outside to realize that your process is going to have to be different and the results will be equally different. If you focus on learning rather than producing salable paintings your more practical attitude will help you get a better result. Very few people paint entirely en plein air. Those who do have made it the signature of their work and their collectors expect their painting to be done en plein air. Since few painters take that approach, especially at the beginning of their careers, it is best to forego expecting our plein air work to be gallery paintings. I recently read that one of my favorite painters showed less than 10% of his plein air work. If a painter who has been painting 40 to 50 years exhibits one out of ten paintings you should allow yourself some latitude to paint some bad paintings.
HOW TO INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF SUCCESS
As my command of painting in the field increased I began going to plein air events. But I had little idea why the pairings sometimes worked and why they sometimes didn't. At one important juncture I was invited to an artist residency at the Maynard Dixon studio in Mount Carmel, Utah. The pressure was on and I desperately wanted to create a body of expertly done plein air paintings. The final total was six bad paintings and two good ones. Which was a very disappointing ratio? I decided I needed to improve the odds of success and began a systematic analysis of what was wrong with all of my plein air paintings.
GET THE COMPOSITION RIGHT
The first thing I noticed with my failed plein air sketches was that many of the compositions were hurried or poorly thought out, like I didn't take the time to properly think through a solid composition. The remedy is to make as many thumbnail sketches as is necessary. After you've made 3 to 6 sketches pause, take a deep breath, and allow yourself to lecture of selecting the best image. Remind yourself that it is counterproductive to proceed until you've created a satisfying composition. The most common mistake I made with my thumbnail sketches was focusing on too much linear detail rather than on three to five value zones. Think of your composition as a series of interlocking shapes of differing values. The idea behind a thumbnail sketch is to make them so small that you actually can't add excess detail.
Once you have decided on a satisfying composition carefully draw a linear version of your thumbnail sketch onto your canvas. Focus on the main shapes and avoid excessive detail. The next step is to broadly paint correct values into the delineated value zones so any internal detail you draw will be painted over anyway.
Once you have the borders of your thumbnail sketch painted onto your canvas you mix 3 to 5 values that will be added into these delineated zones.
DEALING WITH CHANGING LIGHT
The only way to deal with changing shadows and light source is to understand how light moves across the landscape. If you are intimidated by what can seem like rapid changes start your plein air experience by choosing a day that is overcast in which case the sun's movements, due to the diffusion of the clouds are not as pronounced. On an overcast day you can easily paint for two to three hours with minimal changes in light. However some people find it difficult to see a pattern of light and dark on an overcast day. So you'll have to decide which is most important to you; a constant light source, or an obvious pattern of light and dark.
It is often helpful to use a digital camera to take a photograph before you start painting. You can then refer to this image by viewing the digital display and remind yourself of the original shadow pattern (it is also handy to have some reference to expand on the sketch in the studio later). But the best way to understand the pattern of light and dark at the outset of your painting is to do a sketch approximately 4" x 5" in which my primary objective is to record the pattern of shadow. Your sketch looks like something that would make a great painting, if not do another one until you get a design that really inspires confidence. Keep the final sketch where you can see it. If I feel intimidated by the changing scene my sketch reminds me of the original pattern. You don't want to forget what attracted you to the scene. Stay focused. If you change your artistic intent halfway through a painting your communication will be conflicted. Ambiguity will lead to a weak painting.
With experience you will begin to be able to anticipate how light will move across a scene. Acquiring the ability to anticipate how shadows move and unfold should be one of the objects of your observation. As you become more adept at anticipating how the scene will unfold you will no longer be intimidated by the constant change of the natural world. If you pay attention you will learn how to harvest the abundance of atmospheric effects and include them in your painting. Instead of being intimidated by surprises you will look forward to them.
DRAWING ON YOUR CANVAS
The night previous to your painting trip, or before, it is best to prepare your canvass. What kind of surface you prefer as a matter of personal taste. But many beginners find it easier to paint on a non-absorbent surface. If the surface is too absorbent, like a raw canvas prepared with a coat or two of acrylic gesso, the paint will be sucked into the surface. It is best to have a canvas where the paint remains on the surface providing a lubricated layer for subsequent paint. The pain throughout plein air session will never dry, or at least it shouldn't. If you find that your pain is becoming tacky or gummy your canvas is probably too absorbent. A good method to seal a canvas that is too absorbent is to atone the canvas with a layer of red oxide paint. If this still seems a little too absorbent you can apply a layer of G-gel or other alkyd-based medium over the dry canvas. When this dries you will have a surface that old-time painters called a sharp surface, that is, a surface that has tooth, or a physical texture, but is non-absorbent.
After drawing a sketch in my sketchpad I need to redraw that sketch onto my canvas. I use a toned canvas because I find it irritating to have white spaces between strokes, spaces inevitably left in a hasty sketch on an untoned canvas. When I'm in the field I then draw onto the canvas with a thin mixture of burnt sienna, ultramarine blue, or Dioxizine purple. I use the cooler to colors so that the coolness of the shadow areas will persist as I lay down subsequent color. I use the French Sienna if I'm painting a location that has intensely blue shadows and I need the burnt sienna to warm the shadows (like in a desert scene). Generally I paint anticipating that these thin colors will be largely obliterated, but it's a good idea to use a color that inspires confidence. If you have a color that you use for underpainting in the studio it might be best to stick with the color you feel comfortable with. When I draw with paint I usually use the flat part of a bright bristle brush. I dip my brush into a solvent, like Gamsol, and mix up a thin mixture to lightly indicate my drawing. I don't want to make the wash too thin as I will be painting into this layer. This thin layer provides a kind of lubrication for the next layer. Thick applications of paint should be avoided at this stage.
GET THE VALUES RIGHT