Finding Somewhere to Paint Plein Air

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    One of the best ways to improve your artistic eye is to paint 'en plein air'. While getting outside and painting from life is a fun thing to do and the goal of many artists, finding a place to paint isn't so easy. There have been a number of times where I have wanted to go out and paint from life but I just couldn't think of anywhere to go. This problem is only worsened if you live in a 'boring' town. In this article, I will pull from my experience and give my best advice on how to find somewhere to paint Plein air. 

1. Google Earth

    While I have already covered the topic of using Google Earth directly for painting reference, this tip is different. If you are struggling with finding somewhere to paint, give google earth a shot. If you go to google earth and zoom around your local area, more often than not, you will find somewhere you'd like to paint. Google Earth is great for scouting out potential painting spots without wasting your time and gas, driving around your city. On the other hand, Google Earth is limited in that for the most part, only roads have high resolution mapping. You can indeed see parks and lakes from a bird's eye view, but you may have to just trust that you'll be able to paint there. 

Photo by Ton Souza from Pexels

2. Proximity is Always Good

    You may have dreams of flying to Japan and painting a beautiful view of Mount Fuji or backpacking through Yellowstone National Park and painting the hot springs, but for many of us, that isn't very realistic. You don't have to put your painting aspirations on hold until you have something picturesque to paint. Painting what is close to you is perfect for improving your skill and not stressing over where to paint. I often just go into my backyard, put down a lawn chair and get to painting. If you are struggling to find art inspiration, look no further that what is in front of you. 

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo from Pexels


3. Paint from your Car

    Painting from your car opens up a new world of places that you may have once thought to be unpaintable. Painting in your car makes it possible to paint in the freezing cold, in crazy wind or even somewhere where you just wouldn't want to set up and easel. Whether it be because of inaccessibility, safety, or how busy a location is; painting from your car can be a great way to get around some common issues with Plein air. 


Photo by Lachlan Ross from Pexels


4. Become a Morning Person

    If you are an average person who wakes up from 8am-10am, more than likely, you won't be alone no matter where you go. But, if you can unlock a new level of insanity and wake up between 5am-7am, the world is suddenly empty. In the early morning, no one bothers you, no one is doing tik-tok dances outside, and their is less noise. Painting outside in the morning is also a one of a kind experience that is super relaxing. While this is one of the harder tips on this list to employ, it is certainly worth trying if you want to paint outside but have some antisocial tendencies. 

Photo by Lukas Rychvalsky from Pexels


5.  Parks! Parks! Parks!

   If you truly feel like there is no where for you to paint in your town, try going to a park. Parks have been my go to painting spot for the last couple of years. For one, the kind of people that go to enjoy parks are not going to make it especially hard on you. Also, Parks have all kinds of things to paint, trees, people, cars, and sometimes they have ponds or water. I have also had many nice conversations with people at parks while sitting and painting. 

Photo by Torsten Kellermann from Pexels


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