14th August 2024 | by Greg Mason
Plein Air painting is having a renaissance and is one of the fastest growing and most exciting areas of the visual arts today along with an ever-expanding range of products and materials to help you make great paintings outdoors. Over the next few months I’ll be guiding you though the kit you’ll need and how to use it in different situations, I’ll introduce you to some of the UKs top professional Plein Air painters and I’ll show you how to get involved with a Plein Air group which is a fun way of developing your skills alongside other artists.
To help you step outside the studio, Cass Art have created an entire section of their site dedicated to the materials used in Plein Air painting and my upcoming Blogs will give you the ability to pick and choose exactly what you need to get started.
Quite simply the translation from French means ‘outdoors’ - so Plein Air Paining is the act of painting outside as opposed to in the studio. This might seem quite straightforward, but if you’re anything like me, who grew up in a studio tradition working in a calm contemplative space, the idea of stepping outside can feel like a scary step into the unknown where light and weather conditions can’t be controlled. However, is exactly what makes Plein Air so exciting as well as challenging - capturing a moment of an ever changing scene.
Greg in the semi-final of Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year. Photography © Sky Arts, © StoryVault
My story with Plein Air began when I was invited to take part in Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year in 2018 - which is a 4 hour painting competition filmed live in different locations throughout the UK. My outdoor painting techniques were rusty to non-existent, so I called upon the assistance of a couple of local Devon artist friends who took me under their wing for a day to the beautiful seaside town of Salcombe. Painting with artists who were experienced Plein Air painters took the pressure off as I let them decide where to paint and set up alongside with an old French Easel and some oils.
Honestly, I felt clumsy and slow, and they were almost on their second painting before my easel was even up… so I took note and realised that having the right gear was key to getting a successful outcome. This is something I’ll cover in detail over the next couple of Blogs, but for now, here’s the basics in my ‘Essential Plein Air Kit List’.
You’re going to need an easel - but one that’s right for you and the conditions you’ll meet, so it will depend on where you are going and what you’re planning to paint on and with. With any specialist equipment there’s a scale of refinement and a scale of price, so the two I’ll be showing you are the Jakar Aluminium Easel with Telescopic Legs and the Jullian Full Size Sketch Box Easel.
The lightweight Aluminium easel is perfect to take on day long hikes into the mountains or coastal paths, the Jullian Sketch Box is a perfect fit for towns, cities or wherever you can park a car not too far away and a portable stool is an optional extra.
Traditionally, Plein Air painters have used oil paints, but there are situations and personal preferences that favour the use of acrylics, so I’ll be profiling my favourite products in both camps to include Liquitex Heavy Body Acrylics along with Cass Art and Michael Harding Oils along with some mediums to assist with drying.
In some situations a combination of both acrylic and oil works well - using acrylic for the underpainting and oils for additional colour layers.
The choice is unlimited here - based on personal preferences and style of painting, but I’ll be profiling some of my own go-to sets in future blogs. In principle, modern synthetic are a great option, they cover all the shapes and sizes of historic bristle and natural fibre brushes and if you look after them well will stand up to the hardships of Plein Air use.
Personally, I take a mixture of some of my favourite beaten-up bristle brushes from the 1970s and specific selection of the contemporary Cass Art synthetics.
Last but by no means least are the also-ran-essentials, which, if left behind on a day out could cause a major fail, not to mention a minor breakdown. These include, a palette, palette knives, brush cleaner, bin bag, kitchen roll or rags, plus clips and extras to secure the whole kit in the event of strong wind.
Working outside has its own unique set of challenges so it pays to be prepared and then there’s the additional challenge of how to get a wet painting home - so I’ll share ideas about that as well.
There is a world waiting for us to explore outside the studio. From seaside harbours and deserted beaches, riverbanks, lush meadows, rolling hills and mountain views to houses, gardens, villages, towns and cityscapes - everything can find its place on the Plein Air canvas. Part of the fun is finding the subject matter that you resonate with and love to paint. To help you, I’ll be profiling some of the UKs top professional Plein Air painters who have found their niche and create work around a particular subject. As for myself, I often combine Plein Air and studio work to finish my paintings and I’ll be showing you some of the benefits of working this way.
So… if you just can’t wait to get started, ask a friend to take you out, join a Plein Air group or sign up for a workshop. There are lots of professional artists like myself who offer training in this area and the good thing is you’ll be alongside others at the same level learning together… or stay tuned to the Cass Art Blog page for all that’s coming your way on the exciting subject of Plein Air.
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