I have a fear of plein air painting! It’s a loss of control thing I guess… you gotta just jump in and do it in the moment. No planning or roughs, no control over the elements… the wind, the sun, the rock hard apples falling!

But on Wednesday I had an opportunity to participate in a Plein Air event at Greenwood Gardens. It is such a beautiful and amazing place that I couldn’t pass up the chance.
I decided to keep it simple and low stress by focusing only on sketching
And taking photos for reference for more sketches, and for larger paintings.
Bringing a sketchbook and pencils/pens felt less scary. And would give me the time to walk the grounds and gets tons of photos.
I was very impressed with fellow artists who brought easels and oils, and spent their time on one piece in one location.
Greenwood gardens has such varied and interesting locations with a mix of plant and architecture that I wanted time to really walk around.
I collected lots of reference pics and also had the very soothing experience of drawing 2 different locations on site

The first two I drew yesterday on site and painted when I got home.
The summer house detail I drew Friday from my photos. Best part was I felt like I was there again.

I intend to do more plein air and on site sketching so I get more and more comfortable with it. It’s also a really great way to loosen up your drawings and trust your instincts.
I don’t love hauling the stuff, including a chair, which was invaluable.

What are your thoughts about working live

Have you tried plein air painting or drawing?