Whys
I had always painted outside in oils, but I turned away from oils for a long time in my life and embraced watercolors. Mostly this happened because this medium is busy-family-friendly. I started to paint while we were in the mountains on one of our many trips and fell in love with how portable it was and its easy to set-up. It’s a wonderful medium to take hiking as you don’t need an easel and the paint dries quickly so transport is simple. I got a lot of inspiration and technical help from James Gurney as he was big into watercolors about the same time I started painting with them outside. (About 9-10 years ago.)
We do not want merely to see beauty… We want something else which can hardly be put into words- to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it. -“The Weight of Glory” C.S. Lewis
I’ve already gone over the wonderful reasons to go outside in God’s beautiful creation and celebrate it by making art out of it. This quote perfectly sums it all up for me as it is hard to find words for this feeling.
I feel as if I am united with that beauty when I go outside and paint in nature.
Challenges
Many of the challenges of oil are shared by watercolor. (See my previous post on plein air oil for overall challenges.)
The worst one is the dry time. It’s the exact opposite of oils and if it’s hot (the mountains I go to routinely hit over 105 F in the summer) then it dries almost instantly on the paper and on the palette making mixing colors very challenging. This can be alleviated by a few things. You can always mix colors straight from the tube (although this is less portable and more expensive use of your paint). You can just keep things really wet, using misters, sprayers, or just paint water. Personally, I also use this method along with my pre-mixed greens. Artists can make mixes from tubes at home and fill pans with them, letting them dry before you go out. I used to be so against bringing greens in my palette but pre-mixed colors can be such a boon to painting outside. So now my plein air palettes have greens in them. My favorites being factory mixes of sap green and fuchsite genuine. I have a new one to try- oxide of chromium because it’s a historic landscape painting color. I’m always looking for natural greens!
I’ve been watching Jackson’s pigment short videos on youtube and recently got the book written about them as well and I have been inspired to try some new things in my palette!
Again I will reiterate safety. Please do not distract yourself with your phone or music. Please do not wear headphones or earbuds. Be aware of your surroundings, keep watch, take breaks to look up from your work, and head on a swivel. Not only could people sneak up on you, but wildlife as well. You don’t want a rattlesnake to come park by your shade and paint-water and not realize it. And always hike with a buddy!
Positives
Doing art in public spaces with watercolor is a lot less challenging. I can hike with a watercolor kit, sit on a rock unobtrusively and paint something, unpack it and pack it up quickly, look inconspicuous, and it’s not the commitment that oil painting is. Since you don’t have to have an easel, you aren’t going to have many, if any people come see what you are doing.
Doing art outside the home with watercolor when I am not feeling well is much easier with this medium than oil. I can carry a tiny, tiny art toolkit and small Moleskine book in my purse. If I’m not well but still want to go out it’s not as big a deal. There is no equipment set up or break down, no worries about transporting wet paintings, and if I take my things but don’t feel like painting it’s no big deal.
Before You Go
My set up can range from simple to overloaded and I tend to go with the attitude of “always be prepared!” So mostly I pack too much. Please keep in mind that you absolutely do not need these professional supplies! I started with a little Winsor & Newton (WN) Cotman pocket set, and slowly upgraded over the years. Paper is what you should spend on first, then brushes, then paint. I didn’t use professional artists’ paint until I was 30! I got all the way through art school with my MFA and an almost sold-out senior show with Cotman watercolors!
Oh yeah! Don’t forget the tea!!!
Special Circumstances: Chronic Pain
One of the hardest things I have to work around is chronic pain and fatigue. I have to change my expectations sometimes. I also have to not focus on negativity, but on how I can change things so that I can still do them, just altered a bit. I have a few tricks though- I always take a seat. I never stand to paint, so my little tripod hiking stool goes everywhere with me. I always have caffeine. Usually tea, it helps me so much. If I don’t feel good I don’t hike or I don’t go far if I do. Driving around looking is okay too. It has to be that way sometimes. Some days I feel amazing, some days nope. With treatments I have more good days! Hooray!
Recently I had radio-frequency ablations (rfa) done on the pain nerves in my lower back for the 6th time in 4 years. This procedure destroys the pain-signaling nerves by the facet joints. Unfortunately it is not permanent and needs to be done almost every 8 months (the dang nerves grow back), but it offers me significant relief and gives me the ability back to function normally in almost any activity I choose. From standing to swimming, this quick-recovery, relatively painless, outpatient procedure has changed my life for the better. Many days will now be at pain level 0, something I hadn’t experienced in the 2 years leading up to getting this done the first time. It is truly a miracle!
I hope this post encourages you to go outside and paint! Yes, there are challenges, but the payoff is priceless!
With watercolor love from me to you from Kansas Street,
-Jaime
