Short answer
Plein air painting is painting outdoors, on location, from life, instead of from a photo in the studio. The name comes from the French en plein air, "in the open air." Painters work quickly to catch the light before it changes, usually on a small canvas or sketchbook.
Where the term comes from
Artists have sketched outdoors for centuries, but painting finished work outside took off in 19th-century France. The Barbizon painters worked in the forest of Fontainebleau, and the Impressionists, including Monet, Pissarro and Sisley, made it central to how they worked.
Two inventions helped: paint sold in collapsible metal tubes, patented in 1841, and the portable box easel. Paint no longer had to be ground by hand in the studio, so painters could carry a full palette into a field.
Why paint outside instead of from a photo?
- You see more color. A camera flattens shadows to black and highlights to white. Your eye picks up the blue in a shadow and the warm bounce light under a bridge.
- It trains speed and decisions. The light moves, so you learn to commit to the big shapes and values first.
- The painting holds the day. Wind, heat and the smell of the tide end up in the brushwork in a way a photo rarely gives you.
- It's social. Paint-outs, plein air festivals and urban sketching groups meet outside every week in most cities.
Plein air vs. urban sketching
They overlap. Plein air usually means painting a landscape or scene on location, often in oil, watercolor, gouache or pastel. Urban sketching usually means drawing on location in towns and cities, often in a sketchbook with pen and watercolor. Both happen outdoors and from life, and plenty of people do both.
How long does a plein air painting take?
Most plein air studies take one to three hours. After that the light has moved far enough that shadows point a different way. Many painters do smaller, faster studies (20 to 60 minutes) and come back on another day, at the same time, to keep going on a larger piece.
How to start painting outside
- Use what you already have. A small watercolor set, a sketchbook and a water brush is a complete plein air kit.
- Go small. 5×7 to 8×10 inches. You can finish it before the light changes.
- Pick an easy spot first. Somewhere with parking close by, shade, and a restroom. See how to find good painting spots.
- Go early or late. Morning and late-afternoon light gives you long shadows and warmer color. Midday light is flat and hot.
- Squint and simplify. Block in three or four big value shapes before any detail.
- Paint with others. A local paint-out is the fastest way to learn what to bring and where to go.
Ready to pack? Here's a plein air packing list by medium.