Create a Landscape Oil Painting en Plain Air: It's Fun, Challenging, and Will Improve Your Skills as an Artist

Want to leave the limitations of the studio behind? Head outdoors to create a landscape oil painting. You may enjoy the challenge of creating speedy and yet recognizable paintings.

Or maybe you are simply tired of painting indoors and want a change of subject matter? Do you love to be in nature?

Landscape oil painting is a timeless expression of the human experience of nature. The tradition dates back to an earlier era of European painting. It was seen as a way to allow man to contemplate the earth, sky, and trees. The French impressionists took this idea to the ultimate extent, when, taking advantage of the recent development of paints packed in tubes, they ventured outdoors to paint instead of staying in the studio. They often used colors (some of them only newly developed) which were bright and airy, instead of the brown and dark colors of the earlier master painters' works.

The term “plein air painting” was coined for this outdoor art—reflecting the French influence. So nowadays it is used to refer to any outdoor landscape painting, but particularly outdoor oil painting since that was the primary medium of most the impressionists used.

Making a landscape oil painting outdoors, en plein air, allows close observation of nature's light and colors. It demands both speed and memory to capture fleeting moments.

You have probably heard that nature is your best art teacher, and indeed, nature presents endless moods, shapes, and colors. Every day, every hour—even minute by minute—nature presents something new. If you have not ventured out to paint en plein air, then give it a shot. Grab your plein air painting supplies and get ready to go outside to paint! Travel with the essentials so you will not be shortchanged. Besides your paints and brushes, you will need a few more things to make painting outdoors a pleasant experience.

Once you are “in the field,” you will need to learn how to capture a simplified “impression” of what you see in order to cope with the ever-changing light conditions. Stick to this “formula” and you will soon become much more efficient as a painter. You will be amazed at how the quality of your landscape oil paintings will improve. That really is the “secret”of successful plein air painting: simplifying shapes for a good start.

Learn more tips on creating a successful landscape oil painting en plein air. Good painters do not just use their hands to work; they also think a lot about what they are doing. Ask yourself these key questions before you pick a spot and mix your paints Too often if one jumps into painting without thinking ahead, the end result suffers.

If you use the above general guidelines, you should see a steady progress. Not every painting you do will please you, but doing a lot of these studies will enable you to improve over time. You may surprise yourself!

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