I love being outdoors. I love painting. Put the two together and I am literally on Cloud 9! I began painting en plein air (fancy words for outdoors in the open air) about ten years ago. Each time out is definitely an adventure; I've had a curious chipmunk crawl up my sleeve (that turned into an interesting dance), I've been rained on (drenched), had an alligator visit (pretty daunting for an Ohio girl) and the people you meet out on location are never short of entertaining!
Painting is difficult no matter what the circumstances but painting outdoors brings its own unique set of challenges. The sun is moving, the clouds are changing, the wind is blowing, the tide is rising... the tide is ebbing. To even attempt to overcome these obstacles you must paint fast, I mean really, really fast! A plein air painting typically takes 2 to 3 hours to complete, that's a LOT of information to get down in that short amount of time.
All that said, there is nothing that I'd rather do. Painting from life is the single best way to improve your skills. I have piles upon piles of terrible paintings stacked up in my studio but every once in a while, things click, God smiles down upon me, and I end up with a painting that somehow captures the essence of the scene.
Keep following your passions, I know I'll keep following mine! Shoo gator!!
Carol
