Simplifying an outdoor scene is the most difficult challenge I face when I paint outside. Tips needed.

When plein air painting what sorts of goals do you focus on? Do you approach plein air primarily to practice good design, as a color study, etc.? How do plein air sessions fit in to your overall art practice and training?

How do you apply colour vibration/ colour variation, since no object has a stationary colour, correctly to plein air paintings?

Will there be any sort of plein air video to accompany the podcast?

What are some good affordable easels to use for plein air?

Hi Marshall and Stan, I forgot to mention this in my original post but I was also wondering if you had any tips for painting at night time and carrying wet paintings back. Is there a limit of paintings you do so you don't carry too many wet paintings back that's unmanageable?

I paint mostly in the urban environment with acrylic paint on 9x12 panels. ACM panels are great to paint with, they're lightweight and durable. Oil paint is great but I like working in water based media because of my work flow and clean up. Two plein air artists come to mind when I'm on instagram: James Gurney, and Marc Dalessio. Viewing a gallery that exhibits plein air paintings here in NYC is rare, unknown to me. Grand Central Atelier held a plein air exhibit once in Long Island City a few years ago, and I was pumped. Are there published critics of contemporary plein air paintings? Until then, one might run into Jerry Saltz at a major art museum and he might dispense a few nuggets. In passing once, he said something about escaping the pathos of Hopper, which sounds right. Could plein air painting also be thought of as performance art? When is this segment airing? Thanks for thinking of plein air painting, I can't wait to hear this!

I can't wait to listen to the podcast! 😄

I feel like I already learned a lot just reading this thread! Can’t wait for the podcast 👍

Whenever i try to paint outdoors i get bugs, dust, leaves and all that jazz flying into my painting, and if there is a wind or even a gentle breeze i find it hard to keep still. I'm in the UK so its not sunny much, and when it is i want to be in it. I try to compromise and do something else like sketching or something small outside, but if thats not what im focused on at that moment it doesnt come out right so i end the day thinking i shouldve just stayed inside doing what i am focused on despite the sun. I feel i have to sacrifice outdoors a little but to me it seems like a small sacrifice for my love for art. Not sure what my question is but i wondered what you guys thoughts were on this and have you ever had this problem!! Thankyou.

What do you think are pros and cons to using watercolours/gouache, oils, acrylics, maybe even inks, when doing plein air paintings? There's no right or wrong and it's probably personal preference but I'm just curious as a beginner

Are proportional dividers a crutch that will eventually hinder my learning? I pick two landmarks for datums, eg bottom and left edge, and use proportional dividers to map features onto my paper/canvas.

I've seen people start plein air paintings, then after a certain amount of time when there have been too many changes in the environment, they work on it again in studio, from imagination or a reference photo they took at the site. What do artist typically change or look for when starting a plein air painting, then adjusting and finishing the painting later in the studio?

When I paint plein air I find myself muddling around in middle values, trying to grasp and translate the light pattern right in front of me. Can you talk about ways to quickly launch yourself into a fairly accurate, overall value pattern so that you can get to the refinement stage sooner? Also do you think it would be interesting to compare and contrast the plein air vs urban sketching traditions? Thanks!

Hi, I was really struggling with getring started, it seems like a lot to learn and as a beginner, with so much stuff and without an instructor how to know where to begging, is so confusing

Also, there's a great Vitual Plein Air group on facebook for those who are interested. They paint from MapCrunch and Google street views! https://www.facebook.com/groups/290155717818479

I feel like I've been held back from really exploring plein air by the equipment. Doesn't hold things at the right height or angle, not enough space to efficiently carry my tools. Do you have any advice or recommendations to address this? Or, should I take the James Gurney route and make my own modifications to my setup?

Hi Stan and Marshall! Thank you for doing an episode on this topic for the podcast. I used to travel and sketch with watercolours back when we could. At the moment I try to paint sunsets when I see a nice one since I know photos don't capture them well but with a sunset of course light changes quickly. I was wondering if you have any tips or tricks for capturing a sunset. I also have a pochade box with water soluble oil paint in it I'd like to take traveling internationally with me someday. Do you guys have any tips or information about taking oil paint or water soluble oil paint on a plane? Do you bring that in your hand luggage or do you have to check it in? Do you bring msds about dangerous goods and whatnot? Thank you so much for your help and thank you for running this show.

How long should you spend on a plein air oil painting in nature, given the changing of light and weather etc. Thanks!

Hello! I have 2 questions: - As much as I want to try Plein Air, it's still very difficult to do it here due to our pandemic protocols. What's the closest thing that I can do that's similar to it at home? - My comfort zones are sketching & inking at the moment, but I've been dipping my toes into digital painting lately. I shared some values master studies, and an old work of mine with a mini environment in it. What can I do to become comfortable with painting more?