Plein Air with Acrylics: Finding My Way (and My Warm Side) 🎨🌿

For years I’ve longed to be one of those artists who paints plein air with ease—setting up outside, brushing beauty onto a panel as the breeze carries away all pressure. But life (small children, time, logistics) made that dream feel distant. And now that I can do it, I’ve realized: it’s harder than it looks. 😅

Today I finally stepped outside with my acrylics—my medium of choice lately for their texture and vibrancy—and tried to see what would happen. 💫

Setting Up: The Real Challenge 🪜🧺

Even though I stayed close—just my garden—it still took three trips up and down the stairs to carry my minimalist setup. That in itself was revealing: minimal doesn't always feel minimal in practice. Still, I gathered:

• 🎨 My main acrylic palette

• 🎛️ A mixing surface

• 🖌️ A few brushes

• 💧 Water container

• 🧻 Cotton fabric (a reusable paper towel alternative)

• 🗒️ A couple of surfaces—scrap paper and an acrylic block

Sketch One: An Imaginary Collage 🏠🌳

I started with a quick piece, combining things I saw around me—trees, shadows, house shapes—into a made-up composition. It was part plein air, part invention. I didn’t love the result, and the process felt uncertain. But it was honest. I did it. ✅ That counts.

Sketch Two: Color Temperature Study 🌡️🎨

Then I turned to a more abstract piece. My goal? To explore how I actually feel about the balance of warm and cool colors—because I keep noticing that a perfect 50/50 split doesn’t sit well with me. So I tried muting colors slightly, dirtying up that pure acrylic brightness. Again, not love at first sight, but I felt a shift: I was thinking like a painter, not just reacting. 🧠🎨

Big Realization: I Like It Warmer 🔥☀️

As I reflected on my second piece, I saw clearly that I’m craving warmth—in palette, in tone, in emotion. The painting was feeling more resolved the moment I tipped the balance toward warm dominance.

And that led me to a decision: I want to create a limited six-color palette + white, using a split primary system (cool/warm versions of yellow, red, blue). But I already hear myself wondering, what about yellow ochre? 🤔 That’s okay. Curiosity means I'm alive to the process. 🌱

The Breakthrough Painting: “The Cat Piece” 🐾🌈

I stayed outside and pushed further, creating what became the highlight of the day: a playful, stylized composition pieced together from things I saw around me. It features a cat-like shape, trees, a red roof—all arranged intuitively and with joy. I consciously made the palette at least two-thirds warm, and something clicked. 🎯

Even more exciting: I recognized and fully embraced my own method—what I call the “rainbow method.” 🌈 In this approach, each color lives in its own zone, with minimal repetition across the canvas. It creates visual harmony and structure in a way that feels deeply “me.” 🧡💚💙

Bonus: Warming Up the Abstract 🔁🔥

Before I wrapped up, I revisited the earlier abstract and blocked in more warm zones. It immediately felt better—more cohesive, more emotionally resonant. It’s not finished, but it’s finally headed somewhere.

What I Learned Today 📚✨

• Plein air doesn’t have to be about the scene—it can be about the feeling of being outside. 🌳

• Setting limits (like a 6-color palette) can unlock freedom. 🎛️

• I need warmth. Not just in color, but in spirit. 🔥

• My “rainbow method” is more than a habit—it’s a language worth developing. 🗣️🎨

• I don’t have to love every painting. But I love where I’m going. 🛤️💛

This was a good day. Not because every painting was perfect, but because I felt momentum, clarity, and joy. That’s all I could ask for. 🌟