Welcome to guest blogger and plein air impressionist painter Kathleen Robison. I asked her to share the perspective of an artist, because to create her wonderful pieces, she must commune with nature in a unique way. I am trying to learn to be more observant about the natural world around me, and I can imagine how much more detail I would take in if I knew I were going to try to put it on canvas.
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I started painting landscapes, plein air (French for open air) landscapes about 14 years ago when my youngest child was around one. My husband would watch the kids on Saturday mornings while I took a class in Laguna Beach on impressionist landscape painting along the ocean. Wow, talk about being put in a whole different stratosphere coming from an inland city in Southern California and being outside painting the gorgeous ocean. I was in heaven! Plus it got me out of mommy mode for a short stint. It was an immediate stress reliever and the love and respect of nature just kept growing within me. Learning to paint brought its own set of new challenges but they were dwarfed compared to the incredible awestruck feelings of observing nature.
I am convinced that physical changes happen in the body and one begins to crave being outside in nature on a regular basis.
While thinking about composition, color, and design of the painting before you are deeply enjoying the cool breeze, the beautiful blues of the ocean and the feeling of the sand beneath your feet is like a foot massage. So even on a day when the painting wasn’t going so well, the gift of being in nature and its healing benefits was always there. Nature heals the mind and soul and gives us buoyancy for our regular life. I always went home exhausted and exhilarated at the same time. Happy for the outdoor experience while physically tired from trekking gear over rocks, sand, and stairs.
Years earlier I had spent time going on silent retreats learning to contemplate and meditate like the mystics. I got the concept but struggled with sitting still for long periods of time and the more I tried to focus and concentrate the harder it got. I let it go and took a gentler approach of small amounts of meditation when I had children, but when I began painting in nature it was as if the sky opened up!
I experience immediate relaxation, focus, and contemplation while painting. A few hours will go by and you are in the flow and lose all track of time. And this is a lovely experience of renewed mental and psychological energy.
I feel connected to nature in the most profound way and I feel thankful for the healing that happens when I am painting in nature. Picasso once said “art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” and I say “nature washes away from the body and mind the crankiness and rigidness of an everyday life”.
Kathleen Robison is a plein air impressionist painter from San Clemente, CA. She loves painting the beautiful landscapes and people around her. She can be found on her impressionist oil paintings website and at Studio 7 Gallery in Laguna Beach, CA.
I’ve recently ordered Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. I wonder if any of you readers have read it and found it helpful.
Thanks for your comment Karen . May and June should be a beautiful time to paint.
This is kind of funny, but I have painted from inside my car in bad weather. I just use a small box easel and look out the front window. Not the same as a perfect day but still getting the benefits of observing nature.
I actually sketched from inside a car one time, but not because of the weather. I had spied a flock of wild turkeys in a field below the road and was trying to capture it before something spooked them. With no knowledge of conveying depth on paper, I found it almost impossible to render the distance and drop in topography with anything approaching recognizability. But…and this is important…just looking at that goofy sketch still brings back the wonderful memory of coming upon those birds.
I enjoyed this post so much. I think the outdoors is what I’ve been lacking with my artwork – I’ve only worked indoors. Here in ND it’s hard to get inspired outdoors when it’s April 14th and it’s snowing and the winds are blowing the snow horizontal. I should try the outdoors once the weather turns nice, maybe by May or June! I mostly just dabble, have taken a few art classes. I use mostly pencils and watercolors. I need to add “easel” to my list of things to buy. I sure missed a lot of wonderful outdoor opportunities while living in NM. Thanks for this, Elizabeth and Kathleen.
Karen, I’m becoming increasingly convinced that even just “dabbling” makes us more observant and therefore more appreciative of nature’s beautiful gifts. I bought myself some watercolors and a journal a year or so ago, and after just a few entries, I forgot about it. Kathleen’s inspiring post and your comments are making me go pull it out again. I’ve even been tempted to take some drawing lessons to see if helps me develop my observation skills.
Anyone who’s ever considered starting a nature journal might enjoy my post “13 Great Reasons To Start a Nature Journal.”
Thank you Kathleen for your beautiful description of nature and the joy you experience in plein air alla prima. It reminded me of a moment I recently experienced while driving through a particularly beautiful and historic area near our home. Seeing the effect of the early morning sun on the exterior walls of an old Moravian church building, I stopped, got out of the car, and walked over to a stonewall to enjoy the unfolding of the day in this peaceful place. Thinking I was alone, my attention shifted to a field at the edge of the woods where an artist peaked out from behind his canvas and smiled briefly, then returned to his painting. I stayed there for a long time enviously watching him work. I remember wishing I had the skill and the tools to capture and share the peacefulness of that moment, not of the church, but of the artist. Your words this morning summed it all up quite well. Thank you.
Thanks for your comment Andrew. I bet this meditative state falls upon you too when you are in deep concentration doing something you love.
Kathleen, you did such a beautiful job of taking us all with you as you paint outdoors. Thank you for helping us experience your own pleasure from it vicariously! It will certainly enhance our own future experiences in nature, even when we’re not painting.
Oh, Andy, thank you for sharing this beautiful experience and your reaction to Kathleen’s wonderful article. I was very moved by Kathleen’s sharing of the pleasures and gifts from painting in nature. And having seen that stunningly lovely old Moravian church building myself, I could imagine your being moved to stop and enjoy the morning light there. Thanks for reading and commenting!