The Art of Plein Air Painting

And why I keep going even if I’m wrong.

I had the opportunity to go to a daylily farm and paint and I couldn’t pass up seeing this property nor having the chance to paint amongst the blooms.

But upon arriving I was captivated by how many beautiful things there were to paint, from individual flowers, to rolling fields of blooms, to tractors, and houses, and bridges, and gazebos . . . and startled that this place was so beautiful.

I settled in an decided to ignore the blooms and paint a little bridge, but then upon mapping out a quick underpainting, I felt underwhelmed and like I’d been missing the beauty of the moment.

I looked over toward the flowers and seen them alive with sunlight trickling through their petals and in bloom at the exact moment I was visiting.

So I ran over, sat in wet grass (ew, the things we do for art), and got my eyesight below the blooms to paint from inside the row of flowers.

I wanted to put the most attention on the prominent flower and let the details slowly fall away everywhere else, except there was a heat wave passing through and I was slowly melting into the soil.

So after getting a road map, I took my plein air painting back to my studio and decided to studio finish the work. And I had been a stark elitist when it comes to plein air and NEVER want to touch work after I leave the location, but I am so glad I broke down the wall and continued to explore the energy of this scene while it was still fresh in my mind.

And I fell in love with this painting.

So the moral of the story is, get outside, get inside, get wherever you feel comfortable and just . . . paint!

Hi, I’m Bethany. I’m a full-time author, illustrator and artist sharing my journey to help you on yours! To see my stories pop up on your feed, I’d love for you to follow me (Bethany Stahl). And, to have stories sent directly to you, subscribe to my newsletter.