Reworking a Plein Air Painting is No Sacrilege!
December 8, 2009
Cracker Kitchen @ Dudley Farm
The Thanksgiving Holiday and some very welcome house guests kept me pleasantly preoccupied from the task of writing but I am back and ready to skewer a sacred cow. Everybody loves cows. Some worship them, some eat them, others appreciate them as a symbol of Americana. Here’s a sacred cow I’d like to lay to rest. What in the name of Black Angus am I talking about? Well it’s the notion, held by some plein air painters, that all plein air paintings must be completed in the field and preferably in a single session. Okay, maybe it’s not that big a deal, but a fair number of painters can be rigid about it. Maybe it comes from the lofty opinion that plein air is all about capturing the moment. To some it’s as if the moment in question is sprinkled with fairy dust, sacred, fleeting and never to return. Purists see it as their job to capture and preserve it for all time. It’s a romantic notion to be sure, but is it practical? Does it serve the art and the artist well? I don’t think it does. Let’s segue back to Roy Peter Clark and the final stage in his model of the creative process: Revise.
Most of us can easily accept that writers, especially novelists, start with an outline and a rough draft. We understand that the rough draft precedes the finished piece with several revisions in between. We also know, that in the making of motion pictures, whole scenes are sometimes left on the cutting room floor. The dictionary definition of revise is to alter something already written or printed in order to make corrections, improve or update. I see no practical reason why that shouldn’t apply to plein air paintings. In fact, from the standpoint of practicality, it makes more sense to finish your plein air paintings in the studio. Here’s why. Ultimately, the painting is going to viewed in an indoor setting. Sometimes work that reads well outdoors doesn’t read well indoors. So before you put your signature on it, look at it in the natural light of your studio. That’s the truest test of things like value , color and edges. If it doesn’t look as strong indoors as it did outdoors, go ahead and revise! It’s no sacrilege! Artists of all levels do it. Reworking plein air pieces in the studio is one of the best exercises you can do. It will make you a better painter both indoors and out. By so doing you will become increasingly aware that your painting is the reality while reality (nature) is just reference material. Your job is much more than recording a moment in time. It’s about communicating truth and beauty on several levels. You’re an artist not a camera! Which seems to beg the question, “What is Art?” And that sounds like a great title for my next post!
The painting above was started on location inside the kitchen at Dudley Farm during a plein air event in April 2009. It was revised in the studio two weeks later. I thought the dual light sources looked in-cohesive so I reworked it from memory.
Comments
5 Responses to “Reworking a Plein Air Painting is No Sacrilege!”
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I totally agree. I am pretty stringent about following the rules of paint outs that are formal plein air events. When it comes to my own plein air paintings however I find that a little time makes a big difference. Sometimes I turn the painting “to the wall”. Sometimes I just put it up where I can see it and just look at it for awhile. The painting tells me what it needs. Maybe it is a little more highlight on the focal point. Maybe it is a change in value somewhere. What I notice is that this exercise makes the painting better. And it makes me think a little more deeply. Works for me. Thanks for the blog on this subject.
As always,
Terry
Just an observation(s) regarding “plein aire” paintings, gleaned over these past economically challenged years as discussed with gallery owners and overheard comments from prospective buyers at openings, receptions and many Art Fairs.
“They just do not look complete or finished enough to sell” (in this gallery).
“It is a charming piece but” seems so hurried and unfinished;
“I can’t justify that asking pride for just a quick sketch”;
“Is that the best that (artist name) can do”.
This commenter has noted many similar remarks but suspects there is another more insidious and perhaps more risky chance one’s “Plein Aries’” presented to prospective Juries or galleries in portfolios’, may be the kiss of death. (this from two instances observed by this commenter).
For me, I say, “don’t hesitate to make a good “plein aire” piece as good and finished as one reasonably can to enhance one’s own professional posture to prospective buyers and galleries; many prospects seem to not understand the core idea and purpose behind the “plein aire” movement and galleries want product that sells. Such paintings may serve purposes of the movement but may not be “perceived” to be “fine art” by many others.
Just comments from a marketing conscious observer/painter
Cheers, ~ Charley
I also agree with you completely and want to add one more reason that it is wise to reconsider your plein air painting indoors and out of the sunlight after the plein air painting session. When we paint out doors, the pupils in our eyes close somewhat from the sunlight and don’t present the true picture of the scene and the light in it. Finishing the painting indoors gives one an opportunity to complete it in its future setting and bring the highlights out.
I enjoy reading your entries and feel this one can apply to any studies or sketches an artist may create. The purpose of the work should be the determining factor, and to see what you feel is the best “ending.” Studies are that, and can be valuable for specific times and purposes. To present works for display with explanations of why they were made is often different than competitions and sales. I enjoy seeing studies and unfinished artist works as they often help me appreciate other, more finished works, by an artist. I like your suggestion of viewing the work in the light it will be seen under. Thanks,
Doug
Hey Robert,
Excellent commentary … also some excellent comments from the other artists!
Decades ago (literally) I recall observing a jury session at a gallery in Washington, DC for a landscape show. Several paintings stood out from the pack because they were very dark looking under the gallery lights. Taking them to some direct sunlight near the window revealed entirely ‘new’ paintings loaded with color and depth. It was a revealing lesson about what happens when painting without an umbrella in bright sun … and how unfortunate a few nice plein air paintings didn’t make the cut because they needed some indoor adjustments to make them show properly in normal gallery lighting.
Love your blog … keep it up!
Tom