Plein Air Painting Links

Barry John Raybould’s Plein Air Painting Equipment

paint7 — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 09:08:11 +0000

Here is where you can get information about the supplies I recommend. In nearly all cases, these are the supplies I use myself.
Important note: Some suppliers offer incentives to established artists to promote their products. I will not do this and I do not accept sponsorships from any product vendor. This site does however, gain some small amount of revenue from the sponsored ads listed at the bottom of the page. You will support upkeep of this site by clicking on them. Please note that I do not specifically recommend the vendors whose ads are displayed here, unless they are mentioned in the body of the articles. (The ads are automatically generated based on the text in my article).

Note to vendors: If you wish to send me products to review, I will do that for you on the basis that I will only list them here if they are superior to the products I currently use, or am recommending to others.

Here are the art supplies I recommend broken down by category:

Where can I find information about plein air painting competitions?

paint7 — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 19:37:52 +0000

Here is a listing of the top plein air painting events and competitions that you can apply to participate in:

Telluride Plein Air Visitors and locals alike will have the unique opportunity to observe some of the nation’s best plein air artists as they paint on location in the Telluride area. The event takes place in the courtyard located in front of the historic Sheridan Opera House, which has been reserved for an exhibition and sale of the pieces created during this week-long celebration of plein air painting.
Sonoma Plein Air Sonoma Plein Air is a weeklong event celebrating the century-old technique of outdoor painting. The Sonoma Plein Air event raises funds to support art education programs for children in Sonoma Valley. This juried event brings nationally recognized plein air artists to Sonoma for a week of painting the inspiring landscapes of Sonoma Valley.
San Luis Obispo Plein Air Painting Festival For one week, artists painted the beaches, barns, boats, vineyards and other scenic landmarks in San Luis Obispo county. Proceeds benefit both the artists and the San Luis Obispo Art Center’s youth education and exhibition programming.
Estes Park Plein Air - Painting the Parks The Cultural Arts Council of Estes Park is a privately supported 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization that is dedicated to supporting all forms of art in the greater Estes Valley.
Tuscon Plein Air Festival This festival, hosted by the Tucson Plein Air Painters Society is held every year in January/February. See their website for news and information.

Plein air painting workshops in Italy

paint7 — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 18:01:58 +0000

Here are some painting workshops that will be taught in Italy this year:

Plein Air Painting In Tuscany: Part 1, with Barry John Raybould
Join us for a plein air painting workshop in the hilltowns of Chianciano and Montepulciano, Tuscany. This workshop is in two parts, and you can attend either or both. We will review the alla prima or plein air painting process and then focus on specific course topics in the Virtual Art Academy® curriculum. In Part 1 of the workshop there will be specialist lectures on these course areas: Notan, Color Harmony, Design and Composition (including Focal Points, and Eye Movement), and Drawing skills (including Perspective and Buildings). There will be lectures and critiques in the mornings, and free time to paint or sightsee in the afternoons. Barry John Raybould, MA has won many plein air painting competitions, his work has been exhibited in several museums and is held in many private collections worldwide.
To see examples of his work, and for more information about the workshops, go to www.bjrgallery.com.
Date of workshop: May 14-18, 2007
Cost of tuition: 575 Euros
Plein Air Painting In Tuscany: Part 2, with Barry John Raybould
In Part 2 of the workshop the lectures will include: How to Observe Color Accurately, Brushwork and Edges, and Form (the Two-Value Statement, Planes of the Light and Shade).
To see examples of his work, and for more information about the workshops, go to www.bjrgallery.com.
Date of workshop: May 21-25, 2007
Cost of tuition: 575 Euros
Plein Air Painting In Venice: Part 1, with Barry John Raybould
Join us for a plein air painting workshop in Venice (and the opening of the 2007 Biennale). This workshop is in two parts, and you can attend either or both. We will review the alla prima or plein air painting process and then focus on specific course topics in the Virtual Art Academy® curriculum. In Part 1 of the workshop there will be specialist lectures on these course areas: Notan, Color Harmony, Design and Composition (including Focal Points, and Eye Movement), and Drawing skills (including Perspective and Buildings). There will be lectures and critiques in the mornings, and free time to paint or sightsee in the afternoons. Barry John Raybould, MA has won many plein air painting competitions, his work has been exhibited in several museums and is held in many private collections worldwide. To see examples of his work, and for more information about the workshops, go to www.bjrgallery.com.
Date of workshop: Jun 11-15, 2007
Cost of tuition: 575 Euros
Plein Air Painting In Venice: Part 2, with Barry John Raybould
In Part 2 of the workshop the lectures will include: How to Observe Color Accurately, Brushwork and Edges, and Form (the Two-Value Statement, Planes of the Light and Shade). There will be lectures and critiques in the mornings, and free time to paint or sightsee in the afternoons. Barry John Raybould, MA has won many plein air painting competitions, his work has been exhibited in several museums and is held in many private collections worldwide. To see examples of his work, and for more information about the workshops, go to www.bjrgallery.com.
Date of workshop: Jun 18-22, 2007
Cost of tuition: 575 Euros

Wet panel carriers

paint7 — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 22:47:40 +0000

Once you have created your masterpiece on location, you want to make sure you get it back to your home studio without damaging the painting. There are a variety of boxes and other pieces of equipment you can use, some are heavier than others. The one you will choose depends on how far you are painting from your car and how many paintings you want to carry.

Outside Shore wet panel carrier
This is a very lightweight piece of equipment that carries two panels of the same size face to face. It consists of four pieces of wood and two clips.
RayMar corrugated plastic panel carrier
These are waterproof and lightweight, and will carry three canvases or six panels. It has a carrying strap so it is easy to carry around.
Judson wet painting carriers
These boxes are made of lightweight wood laminate and carries up to 12 paintings of various sizes.
Handy Porter wet canvas carriers
Made of cardboard and polystyrene and holds 2 canvases or four panels of the same size. They can be folded flat to fit in your suitcase on the way to your destination.
Sun Eden wet painting totes
Made from lightweight, durable corrugated plastic with two strong Velcro strip closures and a briefcase style handle. Holds two canvases.

Open Box M
1392 Southfork Road
Cody, Wyoming 82414
Phone: 800-473-8098
Web: http://www.openboxm.com/

RayMar
1721 Rose Garden Lane, Suite 6
Phoenix, AZ 85027
Phone: 888.809.3314
Web: http://www.raymarart.com

Artwork Essentials
5622 Highgate Terrace
Irvine, CA 92603
Phone: 949 8562196
Web: http://www.artworkessentials.com

The Outside Shore
P.O. Box 147151,
Edgewater, CO 80214-7151
Web: http://www.outsideshore.com/school/art/easel/wet.htm

How can I market my paintings?

paint7 — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 17:46:12 +0000

You have spent many years learning how to paint, and you have a closet full of paintings waiting for the right person to come along and buy it. The problem is, not many people pass by your closet. Here are some tips on how to market and sell your paintings directly, as well as some tips for getting noticed by the galleries who could sell your work for you.

The first thing to realise is that you are your own billboard. When you are out painting, everyone sees you and what you are doing, and there are lots of people out there who may be interested in buying the finished piece from you. Although you may no like to be disturbed while you are painting, there is a solution - promote yourself on the clothes you are wearing! There are several places where you can get t-shirts, jackets, buttons, caps and other apparel printed with your details, so that potential customers can take notes and contact you later. Our favorite supplier for plein air painting apparel is Plein Air Wear.
Another way to get noticed is to enter local art competitions and plein air events. You may have to start small and work your way up, but the more people see your name and your artwork the better. Gallery owners often attend these events and are open to taking on new artists when they need to fill a gap.
Enter competitions in magazines such as International Artist and Artist’s Magazine. If your painting wins a prize and is printed in the magazines, more gallery owners and potential customers will get to see it.
Join a plein air painting organization, either local or national, and attend the meetings and paintouts. These groups often have sales events such as art exhibitions and outdoor markets where you can sell directly to customers. Sometimes you have to donate a percentage of the sale to the organization, but it is often worth it for the exposure.

How can I build a plein air easel?

paint7 — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 23:24:53 +0000

Many plein air painters have more than one easel. They have probably tried all the different types of portable easels and pochade boxes on the market, and some have even made their own. Each artist has their own requirements for an easel, and most serious plein air painters use systems that will carry their paint, panels, and brushes all in one box. The main requirements are that the easel system is lightweight and sturdy.
Here are some of the best easels used by the top plein air artists in California, as well as a few design ideas for easels you can make for yourself if you are on a budget or need something more tailored to your needs. Some companies will even take your suggestions and make a box for you.

Here are some wet panel carriers for if you want to take along some extra painting panels.

What is impressionism?

paint7 — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 17:58:39 +0000

When Monet exhibited his painting “Impression: Sunrise”, the art critic Louis Leroy used “Impressionism” as a derogatory term to describe the painting. Since then it has been used to describe any painting done by the group of artists in Paris in the late 19th century, such as Renoir, Monet, Pissarro, Morrisot, and Sisley, who shared the same approach to their painting. They rejected the accepted school of painting in the academies, and wanted to capture the affects of the atmosphere on the landscape. Their idea was to paint the landscape as it really was, by painting it onsite or “plein air”. By painting outdoors they could capture the real colors of the light and shade, instead of painting the artificial colors that studio artists had previously used. They also wanted to emphasize a loose imagery rather than a detailed painting of the landscape or everyday life. They incorporated bold brushtrokes of contrasting colors, rather than mixing colors on the palette, to achieve vibrant color. A painting was usually finished in a few hours in order to capture the reality of the light, and if they worked on a larger painting they would return to the spot at the same time for several days.
Although they were first viewed as naive and trivial artists, they later gained recognition for their work. Their paintings greatly influenced the artists Gaugin, Seurat, and Van Gogh.
We now use the term French Impressionism, and French Impressionists, because there were also other groups of artists in different parts of the world who were influenced by the founding artists and who carried on the tradition. In Italy there were the Macchiaioli, or Italian Impressionists, who painted the Tuscan landscape and everyday life such as Fattori, Lega, and Abbatti. You can see many works of the Italian Impressionist in the Gallery of Modern Art in the Palazzo Pitti, Florence, Italy.
In the late 1800’s, many American artists where influenced by the French Impressionists, beginning with Childe Hassam and Mary Cassatt. John Singer Sargent and William Merritt Chase also used the French Impressionism style in their paintings. American Impressionism was a combination of academic training and impressionistic feeling, with spontaneous brushwork and a brighter palette than other painters of the time.
In the early 1900’s, impressionism had journeyed to the west coast of the United States, where artists were enjoying the landscapes of northern and southern California. Many of them had studied in France and brought the ideas to California where they interpreted the landscape in much the same way as the French Impressionists. Amongst the most famous of the California Impressionists are Maurice Braun, Alson Clark, Armin Hansen, Anna Hills, Hanson Puthuff, Joseph Raphael, Granville Redmond, Guy Rose, Elmer Wachtel, Marion Kavanagh Wachtel and William Wendt. The best place to see their work is at the Irvine Museum in Irvine, California.
After the end of the Russian Civil War in 1922, the government proclaimed that Socialist Realism would be the only officially approved style of painting promoted within the Soviet Union. They were taught by the masters of the day, who were very familiar with traditional and impressionistic techniques, and so the artists worked in isolation, improving and expanding on the genre. You can see some of the best of these pieces at the Museum of Russian Art in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as well as the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Plein Air Painting Courses

paint7 — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 17:14:54 +0000

These are our recommendations for places to get the best plein air painting instruction.

Virtual Art Academy online plein air painting course. This is a self-study course with a nine-step process for creating a plein air painting, written by one of the top plein air artists working in California. There are also many other courses on the principles and techniques of painting. The author also occasionally runs workshops in the US and Europe.
California Art Club. This organization includes the top artists in the US, and some of them give plein air painting workshops in California.
Plein Air Painters of America Workshops. This organization has the top plein air artists in the US, and they occassionally give workshops in California and Arizona.
Laguna Plein Air Painters Association. This is a group of plein air artists that paint in and around Laguna, California, where they also hold workshops throughout the year.
Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters This is a group of plein air artists that paint in and around Annapolis, Maryland, where they also hold workshops throughout the year.
Camille Przewodek teaches the principles and techniques of Henry Hensche, who studied with Charles Hawthorne.
Randall Sexton teaches plein air workshops in various locations around the US and Europe.
Libby Tolley teaches that compelling landscape paintings result when the artist knows how to capture both the sense of place and their feelings about the subject.
The Taos Art School holds several plein air painting workshops in Taos, New Mexico.
En Plein Air Masters. Some of the top plein air painters of the US teach seven day workshops in Banff, Canada.
Scottsdale Art School is a non-profit organziation that holds workshop by top professional artists in their fields. Workshops are mostly held in Scottsdale, Arizona, but they also have offsite workshops around the US.
ArtShow lists plein air painting workshops held worldwide.
Toscana American Workshops holds plein air painting workshops in Tuscany, Santa Lucia, Ireland, England, France, Greece and Spain.

Alla Prima Painting Courses

jacqui — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 16:28:04 +0000

There are only a few courses and books on plein air and alla prima painting. Here are some of them.

The Virtual Art Academy has several great self-study guides for plein air artists, including Alla Prima Step-by-Step
Virtual Art Academy Beginner Program
Virtual Art Academy Master Program
Alla Prima: Everything I Know About Painting, by Richard Schmidt

Can I check my oil paints when I am flying without having them confiscated? by Scott Burdick

paint7 — Thu, 29 Dec 2005 19:25:18 +0000

I’ve run into several airport security workers who also called me back to the check-in gate after searching my luggage and telling me that oil paints are flammable and not allowed to be checked. In each case I asked to talk to a manager and had them correct the person and tell them that it is okay to check oil paints and that they aren’t flammable. However, it is quite a hassle to get called all the way back from the gate and have to go through security a second time, so what I do now is include the following print outs in with my packed paints. You’re welcome to print them out for yourself.

Air Travel with artists’ colors made from vegetable oil.

The US Department of Transportation defines “flammable liquids” as those with a flash point 140 degrees F or below. Artist grade oil colors are based on vegetable oil with a flash point at or above 450 degrees F. THEY ARE NOT HAZARDOUS.
If you need to confirm this, please contact TSA at 866-289-9673 or their Hazardous Materials Research Center at 800-467-4922.

MSDS Data Sheet

Packed with the paints is the MSDS data sheet from the paint manufacturer with the exact flash point info.

WINSOR & NEWTON COLART AMERICA — 089 ARTISTS OIL COLOR CADMIUM ORANGE
=======================================================
MSDS Safety Information
=======================================================
FSC: 8010
MSDS Date: 11/17/1994
MSDS Num: BWVSS
LIIN: 00F038794
Product ID: 089 ARTISTS OIL COLOR CADMIUM ORANGE
MFN: 01
Responsible Party
Cage: 03103
Name: WINSOR & NEWTON COLART AMERICAS INC
Address: 11 CONSTITUTION AVE
Box: 2390
City: PISCATAWAY NJ 08855-1396
Info Phone Number: 908-562-0770/800-628-3385
Emergency Phone Number: 800-628-3385/908-562-0770
Review Ind: Y
Published:
=====================================================
Fire and Explosion Hazard Information
=======================================================
Flash Point Method: CC
Flash Point Text: 446F
Extinguishing Media: CO2, DRY CHEMICAL, FOAM
Fire Fighting Procedures: KEEP COOL.
Unusual Fire/Explosion Hazard: BLACK SMOKE MAY BE EVOLVED WHICH EFFECTS EYES
& LUNGS. AUTOIGNITION TEMPERATURE: >572F.
=======================================================
=======================================================
Reactivity Data
=======================================================
Stability Indicator: YES
Stability Condition To Avoid: EXTREME TEMPS
Materials To Avoid: COMBUSTIBLE MATTER, COTTON WASTE
Hazardous Decomposition Products: ACROLEIN
Hazardous Polymerization Indicator: NO
=======================================================