En Plein Air: Where Art and Nature Meet
Guest contribution by Peggy Stortz
In a recent newspaper interview, North Vancouver artist Alfonso Tejada said, "Professional artists should be aware of what they can learn from nature. You have to learn how to see en plein air. It's not to paint what's in front of your eyes. It's to paint what you feel."
"There is a duality to painting en plein air," Tejada says. Of course there is the product, but more importantly, there is the action of painting outdoors in communion with nature, discovering its structure and sensation and making it part of oneself. In his own experience, painting en plein air has helped strengthen his sense of proportion, scale, form and colour.
En plein air is a French expression which means "in the open air", although it can refer to any activity and is particularly used to describe the act of painting outdoors. Renaissance painters would often sketch scenes for their work outside but the actual painting was done in their studios. Although the lay of the land or structure of the building might be accurate, they could not recreate the subtleties of colour, atmosphere and natural light indoors.
By the mid 1800's, the development of the very portable box easel and oil paints in tubes coupled with ready access to the countryside by rail made painting en plein air easy. It soon became the norm for Barbizon and Impressionist artists. Years later in Canada, the Group of Seven continued this tradition traveling by train to the wilds of our huge land to paint its rugged beauty.
These days, with the automobile and roads traversing the countryside, one can easily toss paints, canvas and an easel into the back seat and drive to some beautiful location for the afternoon. Throw in a bottle of wine, a loaf of bread, some ripe cheese and a couple of friends and you will be imitating the social nature of the plein air movement developed especially by the French Impressionists. These outings became convivial picnics with one or two friends or a whole crowd. Several of the paintings we associate with the Impressionist movement depict the festive occasions.
Here in the Lower Mainland, we don't have to go far to find the beauty of nature. Tejada teaches regularly down at the Music Box in Ambleside. He invites experienced and emerging visual artists to participate. For the beginners it is a way to start with the basic concepts of perception and exposure, building up a habit and a process of working outdoors. For the more advanced artist working en plein air helps to refresh and rebuild the structure of their process. At first, artists may find the plein air technique difficult or frustrating, but Tejada encourages participants to move past those feelings. In time, he hopes that everyone who attends will come to feel as passionate about working en plein air as he does.
Although there is plenty to paint locally, Tejada encourages artists to take painting en plein air abroad. It is an opportunity to learn the variations of colour at different latitudes and altitudes. "Shadow and light are perhaps the most important lessons nature provides. The atmosphere of a place translated into a sketch or painting will demonstrate these lessons." In Tejada's experience, travel and working en plein air in different settings, environmental or cultural, have had a definitive impact on his perception and his work. "The overall concept of painting outdoors is to learn to see the world around us and to make the ordinary extraordinary in our work."
For Tejada, one of the favourite aspects of working en plein air is the social the element. It opens up channels of communication with the public on different levels from a simple acquaintance to a possible commission. "It's most rewarding to receive encouragement from strangers and compliments on your work." At the recent Harmony Arts Festival in West Vancouver, Tejada produced two en plein air events, complete with a spread of wine and cheese for the artists. Hundreds of people watched the painters as they worked on the beach, under a tree or at the end of the pier. The atmosphere was enjoyable for both the artists and those who came along to watch.
For more information about painting or sketching en plein air or about the North Shore gatherings please contact Alfonso Tejada at 604 988 4801 or Glenn Olav Madsen at 604 925-7198 or by visiting www.westvancouver.ca
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