Not every painter enjoys painting on location. This activity gained prominence during the 17th century with the Impressionists. Coined as Plein air painting, meaning plain air, outdoors in ordinary language, it grew to be extremely popular and even considered part of artistic development. However, transporting painting gear to a location, painting in the elements, battling insects, weather, sometimes animals, requires a determination and physical stamina that some consider better used in the studio. Certainly, they have the right to have that opinion. However, the impressionists didn't recommend painting outdoors for the novelty of it, but rather as a means to an end. The end was improvement in the quality of their work. They saw it as a method of improving the treatment of color. In atmosphere, the nature of color undergoes value shifts that are missing in photos or under artificial lighting. I have found that plein air painting forces me to paint fast due to changing light. Hence, there is a sense of freshness to the plein air piece that is often missing in a studio piece. One hard-learned lesson for me has been learning to limit myself in subject matter. For instance, when confronted with a vast sunflower field, I find painting the entire field overwhelming. Just because there are thousands of blooms, does not mean I have to paint them all. Just as in life, we have to learn to make priorities and focus on what is truly important. That is what I did here-selected a few blooms and painted them. Sometimes we simply "bite off more than we can chew," as my mamma would say. Learn to eliminate details that are nonessential to your goals.
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