Rusting Beauty, 10x10, oil on wood panel, painted January 9, 2019

 

What exactly is plein air painting and how rigid is your definition?

 

Looking up the rules of various plein air festivals and competitions it seems that plein air pieces must not have been started in advance other then perhaps a very basic toning, meaning to eliminate all white. Most of these competitions require the supports be stamped or otherwise marked by the organizers and taken out that morning and returned that evening. The other stipulation is that the painting is to be done outdoors.

 

But what is 'outdoors' and what 'isn't outdoors'. Is standing under and looking out from the rain/snow/sun/wind shelter provided by an big old barn or hayshed or huge old equipment shop still outdoors? And what about setting up under a large canopy or beach umbrella? Are those wonderful clear-plastic painting pods that allow you to paint in the rain still considered outdoors? And for that matter is standing or sitting inside a large RV or motorhome and painting while looking out the windows plein air? If not, then what about really small RVs or motorhomes, or a passenger car or truck?

 

I looked up "What is plein air painting?" via Google and found this definition at www.dictionary.com. 

adjective

1. pertaining to a manner or style of painting developed chiefly in France in the mid-19th century, characterized by the representation of the luminous effects of natural light and atmosphere as contrasted with the artificial light and absence of the sense of air or atmosphere associated with paintings produced in the studio.
2. designating a painting executed out of doors and representing a direct response to the scene or subject in front of the artist.
3. (of a painting) having the qualities of air and natural light.

 Again, outdoors seems to be a defining element. I have encountered some opinions that suggest painting from inside the shelter of your vehicle is not really 'outdoors' and while I agree with some of that argument I am not sure these paintings can be defined as something other then plein air. This past autumn I began painting plein air in earnest. The weather turned really rotten and I started working from inside my vehicle using small panels taped inside pizza boxes in order to contain the mess a bit. Having to hold the box in some fashion proved frustrating and I complained to my husband about just wanting a panel holder that would hang off my steering wheel. Two days later he handed me what I call my steering wheel easel. It has proven to be a complete gamechanger. Here in Alberta we are enjoying a fabulous January. However it's still winter and the daily high temperatures have been ranging between +4 Celcius on some really nice days, to a high of -12 Celcius on some of the chillier days. And on a few of those days the windspeeds were in excess of 60 kilometers an hour. Going out and painting on the colder windy days hasn't been difficult provided I sit inside my SUV and find a view that works out the front window.  

Here's my setup this afternoon, painting an old combine that has been parked alongside some scrub brush and will slowly end up overgrown as the years go by. My question for you, is this plein air?