What is plein air painting? The words "plein air" are usually translated as "open air" in English.

Although it is no longer an unheard of thing for a painter to set up his easel outdoors and attempt to capture the fleeting lights and shadows of the natural world, it was once revolutionary.

It first came to popularity in the Nineteenth Century, with the painter John Constable being one of the early proponents of the practice of en plein air. He believed that the artist should look for truth in nature. At about the same time in France, the Barbizon painters, including Millet and Courbet, focused their attention on the everyday scenes and natural settings around them.

Later in the Nineteenth Century, the Impressionists came to be strongly associated with the concept, although in fact, while many of the great Impressionists painted en plein air, not all plein air painters today are Impressionists.

The tradition has continued throughout the Twentieth Century and now into this century. Workshops, associations, societies and individual artists pack up their kits and head for the hills in good weather and bad.

To take advantage of what the weather has to offer, and for convenience and motivation, it is a great idea to have a set of materials pre-packed and ready to go. With your pack ready at the door, or stored in the trunk of your car you will be able to get outdoors to work more often. With the right preparations, plein air painting success is achievable using oils, watercolours, acrylics or pastels. Each has its advantages and drawbacks.

To start Opus has a number of great choices for keeping a travel kit at the ready. Last month, we featured our new line of ArtBin storage solutions including the Artbin Tote Express and the Mega Tote — two great options, big enough for most mediums but not too cumbersome. No more wasting time looking for misplaced items, packing things that you normally use in the studio or packing — period.

Oil painters generally need a case, bag or box with room for a canvas or panel, tubes of paints, a palette, brushes, containers for medium and solvent, rags and an easel. Most sketchbox style easels seen today were originally designed for the plein air oil painter. Our Garibaldi Sketchbox Easel takes care of many of these needs.

Oils dry slowly compared to other mediums, so special consideration must be given to the methods for transporting the finished work from the field back to the studio. A set of wet canvas carrier clips is an economical way to transport oils, as are handy canvas pins. A carrying box, such as a sketchbox easel is also a good solution.

Watercolours require shelter when the weather is rainy and they encourage you to work with speed and spontaneity. For the watercolourist, a lightweight bag or a box is essential. The Artbin Watercolour Box is one option, or you can choose to assemble your own bag or kit of supplies at Opus from a wide selection of affordable options for the student or professional.

When putting together your own bag, start with a folding palette with a small selection of your favourite colours, a watercolour pad or block, collapsible water container, roll-up bamboo brush holder or brush tube with a few brushes, a pencil, and some rags. In hot weather, watercolours dry more quickly, so Holbein spray bottles and a selection of sponges are highly recommended.

To make life in the great outdoors even more pleasant as a watercolourist, we also stock the lightweight, Incredible Artboard for stretching your paper, and the Opus Watercolour Paper Stretcher. You can work with these boards directly on your lap or place them on a portable easel.

For the acrylic painter, besides canvases or panels, brushes, paints, palette, rags, easel and carrying case, a spray bottle to keep the paint moist on the palette and the painting surface during warmer weather is an excellent idea. Along with a sketchbox easel for carrying supplies and for use as a painting support in the field, take a Shelf Help, either left or right side (or both for even more space) to keep all your brushes, spray bottles, knives and other paraphernalia at the ready.

Acrylics dry quickly, so a stay-wet style palette, such as the Masterson Super Pro, is also helpful. Glazing can be carried out in a brief period of time, and carrying your canvases back to the studio is usually not a problem. The use of a retarder in the paint is helpful when the weather is hot and dry.

For the pastellist, a board, an easel, sheets of paper and a box for a selection of pastels should be sufficient to produce your outdoor studies. Pastels also need more care in transportation than other mediums. The Artbin Pastel Tote with its six boxes is very handy, as it is useful for storage in the studio and for carrying in the field. A good pump fixative such as the Sennelier Latour pump spray is also a great addition.

For those artists with less time or who prefer to travel really light, a bag with a sketchbook, some pencils and a drawing board can be ready to go whenever you are.

Painting en plein air allows the artist to revel in the beauty of the landscape and the excitement of the urban cityscape, while fulfilling a creative need. What better way to spend your time?

Whatever your chosen medium, Opus has a great selection of paints, surfaces, accessories and bags to carry them in as well as easels, folding stools and drawing boards. Visit one of our stores or call our Mail Order Service at 1-800-663-6953 or locally at 604-435-9991 for information. We have all the essentials you will need to sketch away and capture the scenes of spring and summer!