
It is definitely summer when painters gather under a tent and friends and spouses sunbathe along side on the grass. Doesn’t this look like a contemporary plein air party ? Painters are hard at work and significant others come along for the trip to a pastoral destination.Photo: Marcus Gale.
You can tell summer is coming when painters are out in groups and they have tents to shade them. Now why didn’t I ever think of that? I’m always thinking of what can I do to lighten the load. I wouldn’t think to bring anything that requires a Sherpa or beast of burden. The plein air painters of the 1800’s brought tents and gear. Why not? We now have cars to carry them rather than horses. So when I painted with my friends Will, Barbara, and Marian this week on Peirce Island in Portsmouth NH, Will offered to set up a tent for us so we could paint comfortably in the hot sun. What a treat! We painted in the lap of luxury on a soft green lawn with cool breezes washing over us in the shade of a lovely white tent. Three of us decided to paint the view of the shipyard and the river and we fit nicely into the shade of the pop-up tent that Will carries everywhere.

Marian set up on the causeway with a view of a neck of land that jutted out into the river. She stained her panel and worked with a knife. She had lots of visitors. We could hear them talking to her but couldn’t see her through the trees. Photo: Marcus Gale
It could only have been better if we had snacks and ice tea delivered during the afternoon. I am always covering up when I’m out painting. Sunscreen, long sleeves, pants, socks and my permanent hat are always part of my daily attire. I get a sunburn in 15 min. I even burn in winter when the glare is strong on the snow. I do best in a foggy, cool climate, so the fog shrouded, misty days on the coast are some of my favorite ones. Rainy days are nice if it isn’t pouring and I’ve had some of my best days painting with acrylics in light mist.

When I arrived on location the sun was baking the rocks. It was toasty warm. I needed my umbrella to keep me and my palette cool and shaded. Photo: Marcus Gale
Can we talk and paint when we are painting in close quarters? Well, that’s debatable. Marian went off and found a spot close to the water on the causeway to Four Tree Island. The rest of us laughed and shared painting experiences, plus a few other tidbits. One of the nice things about painting with other painters is to see how they choose colors, design their painting and interpret the motif. Barbara painted a large painting with negative shapes on a stained panel, Will did a grisalle on a medium panel and I painted three small ones on mixed media board one stained and the others white. The conversation was lively and animated. I rarely if every talk and paint so it was a challenge to switch concentration, but I was working small so it was easy to finish a painting a thought and then answer a question. Did we manage to paint anything that we liked?
Will mixing colors after he finished his under painting. Photo: Marcus Gale
I was happy with two of them and the last one I didn’t quite finish as we were packing up. So I just dashed in the shapes and called it a wrap. I needed to get out of the way as the tent was coming down. What a delight it was painting under a tent. I’m thinking about getting one. It does require 2 people to set it up and take it down. So it would be a group thing but I noticed I wasn’t as tired as I am after spending the day in the hot sun. It was nice to be so comfortable painting and having a cool breeze refresh you. It actually got chilly late in the late afternoon!
SUMMER IS HERE AND ITS GOING TO BE SHORTER THAN YOU THINK !
SUMMER PLEIN AIR CLASSES
THE SUMMER PLEIN AIR CLASSES HAVE STARTED.
CLASS SIZE IS LIMITED.
2016 summer classes “en plein air” are in a groove. Jump in and join us for a session. We are painting at beautiful locations, a different one each week. I am teaching a new easy plein air method in a 6 week block of classes. This easy method really helps beginners get comfortable with plein air painting and it helps experienced painters improve skills dramatically. It’s a tried and true method and its great to see how fast students are improving.
SUMMER PLEIN AIR SESSION DATES
SESSION 2 JUNE 14- JULY 19
SESSION 3 JULY 26 – AUGUST 30
SESSION 4 SEPT 4 – OCTOBER 11
AUTUMN PLEIN AIR
SESSION 5 OCT 18 – NOV 22
SIGN UP HERE FOR ONE 6 WEEK SESSION.
SIGN UP HERE FOR ONE SINGLE CLASS
DEMOS & A PLEIN AIR WORKSHOP AT YOUR LOCATION: I am visiting art groups and associations giving demos and plein air workshops. If you or your group would like a workshop please don’t hesitate to ask for details and available dates for summer and fall.
THE PLEIN AIR EXPERIENCE ~ If you like to spend time in nature and are interested in painting outdoors but are not sure you will like it a good way to check it out is to attend a plein air demo. Some people like to paint or draw but feel shy about doing it in a public place. Others don’t have the equipment and want to see what it is like before investing in a lot of stuff they might not end up using. The best way to find out is to watch someone and see how it is done. Come to one of my plein air demos and see for yourself.
This is a great chance to see how I paint and how I design a plein air painting. If you think you’d like to paint outdoors come to this event. It’s a great sampler of plein air painting. After the demo I will answer questions and share experiences.
SUMMER & FALL WORKSHOPS IN MAINE
JULY 9 10-5
AUGUST 6 10-5
SEPTEMBER 10 10-5
OCTOBER 8 10-5
All workshops are in southern Maine in the coastal towns of Kittery, York, Cape Neddick, Ogunquit, Wells, Kennebunkport and Cape Porpoise. Painting locations include quintessential Maine places including beaches, rocky coastlines, harbors, marshes, farms, historical homes and classic small villages.
These are one day plein air workshops. All workshops begin at 10am with a one hour break for lunch. The day will start with a demo and a short talk on the specific aspects/advantages/challenges of the location. Guidance will be given on choices of subject matter tailored to each student’s individual painting experience. Students can expect to complete one or more paintings.
Register for a workshop here. Price: $100.
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I look forward to seeing you!
Mary
