Painting from Life, Part II

Last month I wrote about reasons that I enjoy painting on location. I ran out of space in one post to cover all of the things I wanted to share about painting form life, so here is Part II. Let me continue to count the ways...

(5) Painting from life involves all the senses! There is definitely a heightened awareness and connection with your subject when you are standing right there, in the same environment. For example, painting a lavender field is completely delicious (see above!). As you stand in the hot summer field, you feel the sun beating down, you smell the fragrance of the lavender, you hear the buzz of the bees among the blossoms. If you are painting at a lobster pier, as in the photo below, you hear the water lapping on the shore, you smell the brackish water and the fish, you hear the motors of the lobster boats. All of these sensations help inform your painting.

My setup on a recent painting session in Maine

(6) Painting from life lets you meet people. I know that bystanders can often be distractions to plein air painters. It can be difficult to paint and carry on a conversation at the same time. But, that said, it is amazing how often a conversation


with a passer-by can yield something wonderful. Sometimes it is as simple as the story behind what you are painting ("My grandfather built that barn"). Other times it is as profound as making a connection with somebody who becomes a true friend. Amazingly, I met a man when I was painting on location in a small village in France, and he turned out to live just blocks from me at home! I became fast friends with him and his wife.

Lesley painting in Venice

(6) Painting from life deepens your appreciation for a place. When you stand in one spot for several hours, you can't help but learn about the life of the place. You see villagers going to and from the bakery with their morning baguettes, or the commuters on the light rail going Uptown to work. I like to see the quite moments that transpire--the elderly woman sweeping her stoop in a small village, or the farmer tending his crops, or the commuter reading on his iPhone. Especially if you return to paint at  the same spot several times, you learn the rhythms of life in that place. This, too, helps inform your painting, and fosters a deeper connection to a place.

I'd still enjoy hearing from other painters about things you love about painting on location--keep in touch!