An artist could sit in a studio all day, trying to capture nature on his canvas.
But that experience can?t compare to being in the open air and seeing the scene before your eyes.
?Plein-air [or outdoor painting] is the most difficult kind of painting there is because you don?t have any control,? said South St. Paul artist Derek Davis. ?You?re dealing not only with painting elements, but you?re also dealing with natural elements, wind and insects and heat and the sunlight and changing light.?
En plein air is a French expression that means ?in the open air.? A popular art trend on the coasts and in Europe, according to Davis, president of Outdoor Painters of Minnesota, plein-air painting dates back to the 1800s when paint tubes allowed artists to leave their studios.
Local residents will have a chance to observe plein-air painters at work during the first Minnesota River Arts Fair on Saturday and Sunday at The Landing in Shakopee. The art fair, which is sponsored by the Savage Arts Council and Three Rivers Park District, will include more than 40 Minnesota artists joined by musicians, historical re-enactors, children?s activities and more in The Landing?s 1880 park.
Patricia Schwartz, owner of Brush Works School of Art in Burnsville, loves the challenge of capturing the ?beautiful gracefulness? of the outdoors.
?It?s a great feeling when standing out there and the colors seem to be flying all around you,? Schwartz said. ?You have to capture them and get them to hold still while you put them down on canvas.?
CAPTURING THE OUTDOORS
The biggest challenges of outdoor painting are the changing conditions, said Minneapolis artist Laura Frykman. The light and weather can change quickly, giving a scene a new look. Painters must be decisive, focused and able to block out distractions if they want to capture the moment.
?It?s the best part of it, but it?s also the most difficult,? she said.
Most plein-air paintings are small because artists don?t have much time to work on them since the light is changing so fast, according to Davis. An artist quickly needs to find a subject and decide how to compose it in order to communicate his or her intended message.
?It?s all around challenging,? he said. ?It tests all your skills because you don?t have the comfort or luxury of transferring a photo or working in that sort of way.?
Thirty-three plein-air artists will be competing in the Minnesota River Plein Air Competition as part of the weekend art fair. The artists will have one week, July 21-29, to paint on location anywhere in the historic park. Artist Greg Lipelt will judge the paintings, which will be on display in the Town Hall.
Schwartz has been scouting locations for several days, searching for locations that best represent her work. She?s picked out a few cherry locations and will be visiting The Landing daily during the contest period.
?We have seven days. I?ll be out every day,? said Schwartz, who plans to paint in watercolor and oil.
Davis, on the other hand, doesn?t plan to scout any particular spot. He?ll take his sketch book and create a few thumbnails, but really the right spot depends on the moment, an artist?s mood and lighting. ?It?s really hard to anticipate all that stuff,? he said.
LIGHT AND COLORS
The hazy, humid weather could also impact the artists? locations since it changes colors. Frykman, who works in chalk pastels on fan paper and oils, likes the haziness when painting wetlands. Some of her favorite places to paint are certain bends of Minnehaha and Nine-Mile creeks as a little sunshine comes through the trees.
The artists agree early-morning or late afternoon is best for bringing out colors? richness. The noon-day sun burns out colors.
Non-artists may not realize the subtle differences in colors, but that?s one reason Schwartz hopes people will come to the art fair, especially during the half-hour Quick Paint Competition at noon Saturday.
Hopefully, by watching a painter at work, fair attendees will see new things through the painter?s eyes.
?I invite them to come and see the pink the sky,? Schwartz said.
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