Out in the Open

Collector's Focus: In Plein Air

At the heart of plein air painting is rebellion. With its origins in rejecting the classical tradition requiring landscapes to be composed in studios as backdrops for historical and allegorical tales, plein air forces artists to confront and focus on reality and their immediate surroundings. Today, the genre still demands artists to rebel against the constraints they put on themselves and surrender their work to the whims of nature.

En plein air is a French phrase that means “in the open air,” reflecting the genre’s roots in French Impressionism.

Kathleen Dunphy, Lifting Fog, oil on linen, 10 x 8 in.

While painting in the open air is recorded as far back as the Renaissance, it wasn’t until the 19th century that the cumulative efforts of artists, including John Constable and Claude Monet, brought the genre into the modern age, encouraging other artists to embrace the natural world.The movement took root in the United States as the country expanded westward, with a new generation of artists looking for landscapes to document and share with the rest of the world. Beginning in the 1830s, Hudson River School artists captured pure, sweeping landscapes; absent of human figures and historical themes. The paintings allowed the viewer to vicariously experience a touch of the awe the artist felt while out in the wild.

Paintings by founding members Thomas Cole and Asher Brown Durand reflect deep spiritual connections with the land. Following in their footsteps were Frederic Edwin Church, Thomas Hill and Albert Bierstadt, who brought the untouched wilderness of America back to eager collectors.

Today, plein air is considered more of an ethos than a technique. The practice has a purity to it and is rooted in the most classical tradition of painting from life. It fosters honest and unadorned depictions of reality, and served as a major contributor to the rise of landscape painting as a legitimate art genre.

Top: Kathleen Dunphy, Frosting, oil on linen, 8 x 8 in. Kathleen Dunphy, Rockfall, oil on linen, 8 x 8 in. Bottom: A Sense of Place Gallery, Coloratura, oil, 10 x 20 in. by Daniel J. Keys

Artist Kathleen Dunphy continues to draw from the same deep connection with the natural world and upholds the ethos of genre, using her canvas as a mirror to reflect the beauty of the natural world.

“Whether I’m depicting landscapes or animals in a painting, I need to have a direct connection with the subject matter to convey it convincingly. The inherent time constraints in plein air make me paint faster, forcing me to grab the essence of the scene before conditions change,” says Dunphy.

“With no time for second-guessing and overworking, my brushwork is more energetic and confident. Even on a day when my painting doesn’t turn out great, I know that the time I’ve spent studying the subject matter—standing in the scene, smelling the air, feeling the sun or wind—influences and enhances my painting in a way that working from a photo never could.”

Top: Idaho Art Gallery, In the distance, pastel and mixed media on paper, 8 x 10 in. by Bonnie Griffith Lockhouse Gallery, Sun God, oil on canvas, 24 x 18 in. by Walter Bartman Bottom: Idaho Art Gallery, Where Light Rests, pastel and mixed media on paper, 8 x 10 in. by Bonnie Griffith Melissa Arthur, Scenic Utah, acrylic, 11 x 14 in.

Continue reading through this section to learn more about the world of plein air painting from leading artists and galleries who champion this timeless practice..

Represented by Idaho Art Gallery in Boise, artist Bonnie Griffith displays a remarkable intimacy with place. Her work, rooted in a lifelong connection to the Western landscape, is deeply attentive to the fleeting qualities that make a particular moment distinct. Working in pastel allows Griffith to respond directly to changing light, atmosphere and color, capturing the immediacy of a landscape as it is experienced rather than simply observed.

“There is an ephemeral quality to her work that makes it feel less like a depiction of a place and more like an intimate experience of being there,"says Nelli Garibyan, gallery owner and curator. “Her pastels preserve something constantly changing, allowing the viewer to sense not only what the landscape looks like, but what it might feel like to stand within it.”

Among Sense of Place Gallery’s roster of talented artists is Daniel J. Keys, a painter who draws inspiration from the finer details in the landscape. “While I paint anything that might inspire me—including landscape and portraiture—my first love is flowers,” says Keys. “Long before painting became a means of expressing myself, my earliest memories as a child centered around a fascination with plants and flowers and eventually led to gardening and studying horticulture. That interest became a natural segue into the floral and still life genre that I primarily choose to paint today.”

Top: Idaho Art Gallery, Silhouette, pastel and mixed media on paper, 10 x 8 in. by Bonnie Griffith A Sense of Place Gallery, Summer, oil, 36 x 24 in. by Daniel J. Keys Bottom: A Sense of Place Gallery, Summertime, oil, 36 x 36 in. by Daniel J. Keys Melissa Arthur, Mount Moran, acrylic, 11 x 14 in.

Key’s work captures the small details in a garden, rather than mountains and plateaus. Yet his work accomplishes what all plein air painting sets out to—to inspire appreciation and wonder for the natural world. For collectors of plein air pieces, the artist recommends, “Continue expanding your horizons through education, not only by self-proclaimed experts, but also other working artists. No one perceives skill better than those who also work and create in the field.”

Artist Melissa Arthur spends time in nature to spark her creativity. Painting mountains, waterfalls, lakes, rivers, trees and wildflowers. You might find her along the hiking trail with a portable easel and paintbrush as she draws from the sunlight, fresh air and the calming sounds of nature to set the tone and breathe life into her painting with each brushstroke as she observes the scene.

Painting outdoors is a meditative practice for the artist, and collectors are taking note. Her landscapes created on location have been accepted into national and international shows, and artwork fresh off the easel has sold in live auctions during plein air festivals. She recommends collectors permit themselves to infuse original artworks into their homes, as plein air paintings are a beautiful way to bring the outdoors into your living space.

Lockhouse Galleryis a fresh addition to the Washington, D.C. area art scene. Located in a historic river town, the gallery offers collectors easy access from Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and D.C. It features a strong roster of 31 artists, many of whom are highly decorated and nationally recognized plein air painters. Within the collection, there is a strong thread of the mentor/student relationship, as many artists studied under the influential teacher Walter Bartman, whose work is also on display.

Clockwise from left: Lockhouse Gallery, Creekside Reflections, oil on canvas, 24 x 12 in. by Pamela Betts. Melissa Arthur, Autumn Hues, acrylic, 8 x 10 in. Lockhouse Gallery, Garrapata State Park, oil on linen panel, 14 x 18 in. by Holly Buehler

Owned by Kim Yourick, a painter and metalsmith herself, the gallery reflects her diverse curatorial vision. She advices collectors to “look at several different artists and styles. Find a piece that moves you spiritually or creates a personal connection to your life experiences. Pick something you will love to look at every day rather than being concerned about its monetary value. Collecting should really be about emotional connection.”

Richard Eaves Woods stalks promising plein air subjects, looking for a pleasing line, bold contrast and a sense of place. “I circle them if I can, lurking downwind and peering across the slant of light on the shoulders of the day,” he says. “The quality of presence in a scene draws me, even if that presence lasts only a fleeting moment. The edges of the sea, crossings of streets, a stretch of highway into the distance, the last rays of the golden hour stop me in my tracks, to catch it if I can in pencil or watercolor.”

Clockwise from top left: Richard Eaves Woods, Aruba Boat Harbor, watercolor, 12 x 16 in. Richard Eaves Woods, Westport Lighthouse, watercolor, 16 x 12 in. Jason Bailey, The House Next Door, oil, 11 x14 in.

“I may just take a few digital images, thinking ‘that might become something someday.’ Or I may realize that the plein air process has taken me to a declaration that this one has legs. Every plein air captures the struggle to survive the crafting. Many don’t make it to maturity, those that do are possessed of a strong, wild nature, with shaggy coats, ragged nails, grass in their hair. I tote them home from the field, feeling lucky that I spotted a good one today.”

Artist Jason Bailey seeks to capture not just a sense of place but the soul of a place too. “I find there is more to plein air painting than just copying the scene,” he says. “I want to capture the soul of a place, a presence or state of being in my work. I’m looking for the quiet in the noise; there is constant movement in life, and I want that to show that.”

Bailey is always looking for the juxtaposition of the organic and inorganic in a scene, and how they balance one another in their space. “Most people overlook these daily scenes, but I find them inspiring. What I believe makes a strong painting is correct values, composition, variety and story. I show this in my plein air painting The House Nest Door. It is my neighbor’s house, and though it is something I see every day, it’s always changing in some way when I stop to take a deeper look.” —