Plein Air painters capture nature in the great outdoors
The Plein Air painting movement is becoming increasingly popular in Chattanooga art circles, a development that makes perfect sense for one of America’s best outdoor cities. Plein Air, from the French “Open Air,” has its roots in mid-19th century Europe and America, with the Impressionist and Hudson River schools.
It is a means of experiencing nature while creating art, making it a desired approach for outdoor enthusiasts and artists alike.
Leah Salerno is a new oil painter who wanted to try all aspects of oil painting (Plein Air is traditionally done with oils). “The charm of plein air painting is that it’s fresh and spontaneous. The very first time I was painting outside, I just loved it so much. Not only was I getting to paint, which I love, but it was outside—I’m a gardener and an outdoors person, so it was the best of all worlds.”
Leah’s husband, David Salerno, has been painting outdoors for five years. “I painted landscapes for a long time from photos. To really learn outside colors and values, you have to go outside and paint. The photos are so misleading—the shadows are black; the sky is white. To get it right, to be a landscape painter, you need to do some of your work outside, to understand what it really looks like. Some of the challenges are temperature, wind, bugs, the sun moving, and spectators.”
David explains the technique he uses for his plein air paintings. “I usually start with a thin mineral spirit wash of warm color, like a red oxide, because most landscapes are cool, with lots of blues and greens, so it warms up the painting a bit. Then I make a quick sketch and go.”
He further explains, “I set my goal at a reasonable level so I can finish in a couple of hours. I usually stick to 11x14 or smaller, but there are people who go back day after day to paint larger. I limit my colors, usually only taking 8 or so tubes of paint. I do everything in 2-3 hours, blocking out all of the shadows and dark areas within the first fifteen minutes. Though the light changes, I stick with my first observations.”
Another one of Chattanooga’s Plein Air painters, Brett Weaver, started his career fifteen years ago. “I decided to paint landscapes because I loved the outdoors. When I would ask the older painters, especially the ones out west for advice on how to get started, almost all of them said to paint outside from life. That’s what they did back before they really even referred to it as ’plein air’. That’s where they got their information and ideas.”
Speaking of the benefits of the art, he says “Plein air painting has really helped me to learn to see. It also helped me to paint faster, bolder and more expressively. It is certainly not the only way to paint, but it’s definitely the best place to start.”
Telling us of his process, he says “I use a pretty minimal approach, breaking down the big elements into simple basic shapes and values of light and shadow. And I use a pretty limited palette with a warm and cool of each primary color. The light is moving so rapidly that you have to paint pretty fast in order to get anything good.”
“Sometimes I’m just collecting information and then finish up the painting back in the studio, or maybe just plan to use it for a larger painting.”
He expands on the impact of Plein Air, saying “Plein Air usually makes people see the place in a way they’ve never seen it before. So many people just never stop to look at what’s around them—I guess we often just can’t see the forest for all the trees. I am very blessed to have been able to go out and paint the landscape for the last fifteen years.”
You can find Brett’s work locally at Gallery 1401. He has a few plein air workshops scheduled for later this year, one at the Booth Art Academy at the Booth Museum of Western Art in Cartersville, GA on September 30-October 1, and one at Townsend Atelier later in the year.
Leah and David Salerno will be displaying some of their works along with other Plein Air artists at the Artists on the Loose opening this Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
The In-Town Gallery will also be displaying Plein Air work at their opening reception this Friday, with works on display all month.