Accessible Art: Plein Air Painting for All Abilities

Plus: You Can Paint My Car, For a Fee

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Click here to see this email on the web Wednesday, November 15th, 2023 Accessible Art: Plein Air Painting for All Abilities By CherieDawn Haas Share this article: Plein Air Today reader JoAnn Rohde We want YOUR advice ~ a Plein Air Today reader recently shared that she found painting on location at workshops to be too physically demanding. How would you encourage her? What tips or tricks have you discovered to make plein air painting more accessible? Letter to the Editor: "After 7 years of painting from photos in my studio, I decided to try plein air painting. After a couple of ventures out, I realized that acrylics were not going to work so I dived into painting with oil. My husband gave me a gift of a plein air workshop in Maine. I bought lightweight equipment but found the whole experience too physically demanding. It was more like an outward-bound program. I'd recommend that those giving workshops speak more about the physical requirements needed to participate. After this experience, I'm having second thoughts about plein air painting." ~ JoAnn Rohde Our first recommendation would be to check with the workshop organizer if there is any question about whether the location will be accessible enough based on your needs. There's a wide variety of art workshops taking place across the country, and if you're unable to find one that's right for you, consider reaching out to the nearest arts organization and asking them to plan one ("Build it and they will come!") Aside from that, we encourage everyone to consider plein air painting in any capacity, as it's something that you can even practice from your own home. I once painted from my front porch, and I see many artists doing this. If you're using colored pencils or watercolor, you can carry a small travel set, which you can take anywhere and pull out at any time. We reached out to the Plein Air Today community on Facebook, and the following are some of their answers. One reader even shared a blog from LivingFreeWithDisabilities.com on "Painting from a Wheelchair." We hope this helps! — advertisement — From the Community: How to Make Plein Air Painting Accessible Limit the number of paint tubes, set up your palette before you leave every morning and pack LIGHT. Just a few brushes, etc. "Paint small – 8 x 10 up to 12 x 16 inches max. You can learn everything you need to know at those sizes. I'm always telling my students this and I invariably have one student who ignores the advice but switches by the end of the week." ~ Thomas Kitts* "There will come a day when our physical bodies can't keep up with our dreams, to each and every one of us. Nothing beats the company of fellow artists, but stay tuned up with drawing at home, any and everything, even quick sketches from the television. Keep those parts of your brain that give you the satisfaction and joy of creating awake and exercised. Consider a watercolor pochade, minimize all your supplies, and even consider travel sketching with ink washes. Use your wonderful artist brain that you have developed to see the beauty and paintable joys in front of you, and take the opportunity to paint en plein air when the opportunity presents itself." ~ Cecelia Poole Try painting in your backyard or garden if you have one. "It is physically demanding. Can't deny that. Advice: 1. Physical conditioning to stay in shape. 2. Lessen the weight you carry by getting lightweight equipment 3. Try gouache. Less to carry and you are done more quickly. 4. Carry snacks and water. Stay hydrated. 5. Just sit and sketch sometimes." ~Anne Pfeiffer Bring a chair and wheel your gear instead of carrying it. "The first time I participated in a plein air event, I painted from my little van, sitting in the back open doors. It was a cold day and it worked very well!" ~ Janet Hinton *Thomas Kitts is also a featured instructor at PaintTube.tv – check out his video art workshops here! — advertisement — You Can Paint My Car, For a Fee: A Memorable Plein Air Moment "Sexy Curves" was a '58 Chevrolet Impala painted at a classic car show in Wilmington, NC We love to hear from the Plein Air Today community! The following is part of a series that spotlights an artist who loves painting outdoors. Today's feature is on David Meffert (aka Meff). As an Art Director for 35 years in Advertising for the automotive industry, I watched some of the best car photographers in the world light cars in the studio and on location. I saw the beauty of curvy metal, bent steel, and glass. It should come as no surprise that I've returned to my original passion for cars and trucks, painting vehicles found on hikes around the city and through the countryside. I also like to go to car shows and paint on location. When working en plein air, I get all the typical remarks: "My aunt paints too … that doesn't look right … the color is wrong …" The most memorable interaction was when I was painting the front grill of a '57 Chevy Impala. I asked a lady sitting by the car for permission to paint it, and she said yes. After I blocked in the painting, her husband showed up and wanted me to pay him a fee to paint his car. I told him I had already gotten permission from his wife, but he said it wasn't her car. We talked for a while; he finally said I could finish the painting and then he ended up buying it from me. After the cash transaction, I pulled out my phone to take a photo of my work. He stopped me and said, "That's my painting and you will have to pay me to shoot a picture of it." We haggled for a while, and I never got a shot of the painting. "Classic Caddy" a '53 Cadillac was painted at a car show in San Pedro, CA — advertisement — — advertisement — Our current bi-monthly issue Subscribe Now Editor of Plein Air Today CherieDawn Haas Share this article: Forwarded this email? Subscribe here About Us Article Archives Advertise Contact Us ▶ Manage My Email Preferences ▶ Unsubscribe Plein Air Today is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. We do not rent or share your email address. By submitting your email address, you consent to Streamline Publishing delivering regular email issues and advertisements. To end your Plein Air Today e-mail subscription and associated external offers, unsubscribe here. To learn more about Streamline Publishing events, products, and offerings visit StreamlinePublishing.com Copyright 2023 Streamline Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. PleinAir® Magazine and Plein Air Today® are registered trademarks of Streamline Publishing, Inc.

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