Plein Air Blog : Watercolor Painting

Summer Wind Patterns

Robert Reynolds — Thu, 09 May 2013 03:43:00 GMT

As we all start getting ready to step outside our studios and paint outdoors or create studio landscape painting based on our experiences in nature, I wanted to explain the design elements that I put together for this particular painting, Summer Wind...(read more)

A Passion for Gardens

johnandann@theartistsroad — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 03:19:00 GMT

We are not alone as artists in our passion for gardens. We follow in the footsteps of several rather impressive artists throughout history. Our personal gardens are designed for plein air painting and inspire us in every season. But this year, we have...(read more)

Speed Painting Outdoors

johnandann@theartistsroad — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 03:48:00 GMT

John had to deal with rapidly changing weather conditions as he worked on his plein air watercolor painting, Cub Lake Trailhead . We outdoor painters are always on the search for beautiful places to paint, and so we become inveterate travelers and explorers...(read more)

Plein Air Essentials: The Anatomy of Water

johnandann@theartistsroad — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 03:15:00 GMT

Ocean II by John Hulsey, 30 x 40, oil painting. The painting Ocean II was created from a smaller plein air study created at sunrise on Isle of Palms, South Carolina. I liked the composition and colors, and especially the way the wet sand mirrored the...(read more)

Plein Air Time Machine

johnandann@theartistsroad — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 03:40:00 GMT

Plein air watercolor sketches of sites in Kansas and Charleston, South Carolina. All works by John Hulsey. It took me awhile to realize it, but I have invented a time machine. I didn’t set out to invent a time machine exactly, but like many other...(read more)

How to Paint Clouds in Watercolor

johnandann@theartistsroad — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 18:00:00 GMT

In a recent post on how to paint clouds at sunset, we diagrammed a pastel painting and explained a bit about the types of clouds one may encounter when painting outdoors. This time, we have dissected a watercolor, Ghost Ranch IV, that I painted in New Mexico near Georgia O’Keefe’s house. Watercolor painters generally paint from light to dark, carefully building up tones in successive layers, while preserving the white of the paper where necessary.

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The Ultimate Backpack--Professional Tips for Packing Light

johnandann@theartistsroad — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 03:59:00 GMT

Here's John using his heavy-weight watercolor gear while painting in Colorado. Through trial and error, over the years, we have figured out how to pack for our foot-powered plein-air painting adventures. We like to keep our heavy-duty Eagle Creek...(read more)

What Every Artist Can Learn From Plein Air Painting

Allison Malafronte — Mon, 10 May 2010 03:30:00 GMT

After several months of hiatus, the Plein Air blog is back! Our new Artist Daily editor, Courtney Jordan, and I have worked out a biweekly schedule to get the Plein Air blog back on track, and I’m excited to resume coverage of the artists, events, exhibitions, tools and tips, and conservation issues that matter most to you as painters and interpreters of nature.

I don’t think it would be a stretch to say that plein air painting is something artists of all styles, subject matter, and strengths can enjoy. Throughout history numerous landscape approaches have emerged either in tandem with or in opposition to the stylistic movements that were being pioneered indoors by figure, portrait, or still life painters. Whether those plein air paintings were used as preparatory sketches for larger studio pieces or considered finished works in their own right, working outdoors from nature at some point in the process was, and continues to be, of supreme importance to a great many landscape painters.

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