How to become a ‘Plein Air’ Painter – at least, this is how I did it!

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Painting in my gardenIn the late 1990’s, about 20 years ago, I was working in a major bank in the City of London dealing with management accounting of the treasury dealing operations. I also had experience in the finance of overseas trade, specifically with documentary letters of credit.

How did I become a plein air painter? I could see a time in the future when I’d be retired, and would have no use of these specialist skills and would need another skill to keep me out of mischief in my later years. I had two areas of particular interest, music and art, which would it be? I had always loved music and especially opera and singing, so decided to get myself a voice coach, for a weekly session. As a teenager, I had been given some free singing lessons, which ended when I discovered girls and singing was no longer cool.

I remembered this and several voice coaches later, I began to take part in masterclasses, opera summer schools, and some auditions and began to study music theory. I also gave recitals, with others, at music clubs, school halls etc, and performed minor operatic roles. This was all very enjoyable but I didn’t enjoy dressing up, couldn’t act and couldn’t dance. I think you can see where this is going. OK. Lets try art instead? After all my mother was an art teacher, and would give me valuable advice.

So I began with a weekly evening class and painting at home from photographs, the way most of us start, but I quickly realised this wasn’t enough. I wasn’t making progress and was usually disappointed with my results. At this time I was sending pictures of my latest work to my mother, who was pointing out the basic flaws and problems, knowing I wanted the truth and was keen to make progress.

She was a mentor to me, and I couldn’t have progressed without her help and advice, although there were times when I wondered why I kept sending her pictures to be ‘torn apart’ metaphorically. I had started with watercolour, and was determined to master that first, before trying other mediums, having met so many people who switched mediums with each passing season. I also needed to improve my drawing skills, so knew I had to spend more time practising, after all, If I’d chosen to learn the piano or violin, I’d be practising every day for an hour or more.

I began to go out to paint ‘from real life’, firstly with the local Art Group, but that was only six or eight times a year, so I started  looking for subjects in the countryside, sometimes I’d drive for miles, looking for the right image, and then getting worried by all the people who would pass by, and their comments, sometimes I’d come home without a painting or sketch. Later on with more experience, I began to enjoy exchanging banter with passers by, and rarely heard negative comments.

Being out there ‘in nature’ in a field or boatyard, or by a country lane, was what I really enjoyed and after a while even my mother’s critiques seemed to mellow. One day she even said “well there’s nothing wrong with the drawing” Pardon! Say that again, “You are good at drawing” Eureka moment!, so I have taught myself to draw, ah that’s why the critiques have mellowed and her advice is now better understood.

The hardest part about learning a skill is how to assess your own work? You do need a mentor, or a teacher who knows you want the truth, especially if it’s painful. A positive critique, includes, praise for the good points, conversation about the composition, including how it might be improved, where the focal point is, light and shade, design, colour choices and tonal values. Each time a work is completed, having this conversation is really important, and good fun, and you will learn loads in the process.

I now try to sketch or paint daily, weather permitting, and although I’m not painting three or four each day, like the true professionals, I do try to do one or two on a good day. I have learned to enjoy the ‘process’ of painting, and not to worry about the ‘outcome’, this is important, because there is not much I’d rather be doing than painting or sketching, and the outcomes will improve in time and with practise.

As a participant at ‘plein air’ events and competitions, in the Norfolk Broads, in Wexford Ireland, and in London, I have been very lucky to meet many artists, far more advanced than I am and to learn from working alongside them, watching them work, discussions afterwards and on Facebook. I also have a good friend and mentor who is way more advanced than I’ll ever be, so the question now is, ‘will I live long enough to get as good as I’d like to be’?

A Quick Summary:

Q) Do you like to sketch or paint? Q) Do you enjoy the outdoors? Q) Are you fed up with copying photos?

Q) Are you worried about passers by, or negative comments?

If you answered YES to all four questions, Congratulations, you need to get out and paint or sketch.

Ah, but what about those negative comments?  Don’t you think that Joshua Bell or Nigel Kennedy heard them when they first began to play the Violin? Did they let comments from non musical ‘passers by’ stop them in their tracks? As a child, our neighbours children were learning the violin, and it was rarely pleasing to the ear. I do hope they continued.

So What are you going to do? Dream about being an accomplished painter or sketcher, or might you try to start the journey? Remember the saying “Today is the first day of the rest of your life”.

Despite all the book and DVD titles, it won’t be quick or easy, but if you learn to enjoy the process, it will be very rewarding.  Next Time: Painting or Sketching with others –