Lessons From Plein Air South 2020
PLEIN AIR SOUTH 2020 NUGGETS TO CONSIDER FROM PROFESSIONAL PAINTERS
Time spent in Apalachicola, Florida, is well spent. Time spent absorbing demonstrations, guidance, and feedback is time very well spent. Here, I will summarize the main takeaways from my time at Plein Air South 2020.
Be yourself. In oder to be your authentic self, you must work at it, chip away, dig and scrub, try and fail. Mostly, you must know why you are pursuing painting at all AND be honest in that. If you love birds, don't feel pressure to paint buildings. Paint birds. Practice good design, drawing, color, et cetera, but you be you. Don't be the tired, flabby you. Work at being a good you.
Be present and have some respect. For example, if you don't think modern art has anything to say, listen to an expert talk about it - the artistic motives and methods. I like landscapes, but a favorite painter is Rothko. During PAS, I saw Steve Puttrich sit in on many demonstrations, taking notes, and heard him ask honest, direct questions to the demonstrating professional. My respect for his hunger to learn was magnified.
Be simple, but pay attention. Greg Summers showed how to work with just a few colors and fewer excuses (among other things). Every professional, in one way or another, spoke of considering the whole surface. Make a mark and then evaluate it. Be simple and even playful, but be attentive to intensity (weight), design, and everything else that goes into a painting. If you need a building to look "right" you can be simple but accurate and get what you are after.
I loved Michelle Held's openness and honesty as shown in the panel discussion. She and Manon Sander have learned well the lesson in the first paragraph. Their transparency and subject knowledge was such a breath of fresh air. Their personable demeanor and willingness to give was wonderful to experience.
Dawn Whitelaw is a deep well. I suppose if you asked her to talk about color mixing she would (and she'd give you solid info and amazing perspective), but I think of her as an input to a wider art world, a voice that can sound through technique into purpose. She deals in ideas. During PAS I'm sure she gave out little tidbits to whoever she spoke with. She reminded me that - the fewer the elements in a painting, the more beautiful and well-done each must be. She also added that when painting nocturnes that it is helpful to make longer glances (unlike the short ones we make when painting outside during the day). The eyes must adjust. To help with that, get away from your painting light. Lastly (this was huge to me), she related that someone told her that the subtlety of a foreground must be drawn (depicted) as carefully as the features of the face. Please, read that again and go find a subtle foreground by a master and compare it to a clunky effort.
Jason Sacran also lived out the "be yourself" lesson referenced in the first paragraph. He spoke openly about Lyme's disease and how it affects him, but still managed to pump out 2 demonstrations of shape making. On the final day he mustered enough energy to make a great arrangement of simple shapes that read like wavy water and a dock. My description is bland. His effort was not.
Richard Oversmith and his friend Andre Lucero both showed effective simplification and mark making, without over doing it. Watching Lucero begin a painting was like trying to track a flying insect, but the end result - thick with colorful paint - is so interesting. I appreciate how both gentlemen approach painting uniquely and end up with interesting surfaces and compelling effects. Mark making is key here.
John Guernsey - I love John Guernsey. His paintings are always, always so solid. He showed how the exaggeration of contrast can simplify the subject and make something out of nothing. His process is patience. I also love his demeanor. You will likely have to hunt him down to see him paint, as he does not announce himself in any way, but when you find him, you'll find a nice guy and a great painting. Peggy Kroll Roberts said she thought he was the landscape maintenance guy with the way he strolled quietly around. So funny. His paintings do the talking, for sure.
Peggy Kroll Roberts never stopped sketching. Never. Seriously. I mean it. Never. That is lesson enough.
The remaining information is really important to me. I summarized some takeaways from Larry Moore and Ray Roberts.
In burst form:
Larry Moore:
Every shape - if you poured water into it - would hold a different volume of water.
Practice markmaking. The beauty of the mark is usually buried (in the tree, the boat, etc...)
Variety in all things - shape, line, edge, color - all parts of the painting, to avoid patterning.
Hierarchy.
Resonate, don't repeat.
Challenge what you know.
Russell Chatham made simple look easy.
Ray Roberts:
Light/Dark pattern
Methodically
Study
Overlapping shapes
Shape variety
Lyrical
Craftsmanship
If unsure, make a photo and throw it into Photoshop or ProCreate.
I watched pros give attendees time and attention all week long. That is why I love Plein Air South. Below you will find my sketches. They are mostly starts. I painted either before something was about to begin or before the light was about to change, so finish was impossible for me. We will see if anything comes of them.
If you have read this far, I thank you very much. The next part will likely only be of interest to Christians, so if that is not you, stay in touch via Facebook and Instagram. You are welcome to read on, of course. It’s up to you.
I’d like to share a little bit about a side project that I am slowly developing. While I have plenty to keep me busy (like most of you), sometimes I need to set painting down for a while. I still want to be connected to my larger purpose and I don’t want to watch tv or endlessly scroll through the internet.
So, as a way to more directly, explicitly, put something into the world that is Gospel-centric, I started to make t-shirts. Weird, I know. I am not a designer and it shows, but I have gotten some help in the form of software and design parts that are helping to improve my offerings.
I mention it here because I packed only my shirts when going to Plein Air South. That’s all I wore, and every day there was a couple of people to remark on them. They are not standard.
I will never forget one interaction.
A couple of attendees and I were sitting with two icons of oil painting. We were doing what Plein Air South was made for: relaxing and conversing. Just talking. Totally normal talk. No painting, just weather and schedules.
One of the professionals sitting there (who’s work I deeply admire) said, “Seth, I’ve been trying to figure out your shirt.”
With that, I simply explained C.S. Lewis’ Liar, Lunatic, Lord argument, and left it there.
That is exactly the reason I made (make) the shirts. So, if you have any interest in seeing what is offered, visit
The shirt I was wearing is named LGND Graffiti, and I had on the black version. It has a quote from C.S. Lewis on the back.
The one named John 9 25 TELL THE TRUTH was also interesting to folks. Someone else wondered if Memento Mori was Polynesian. Oh well!