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. 🌟
