Plein air (in the outdoors) is a term used to describe painting from life, directly in the landscape. The paintings you see here have been largely completed en plein air, sometimes with some small addition such as highlights completed back in the studio.
Plein air paintings, because they are done outdoors and usually over a short time interval before the light changes substantially have a liveliness and a freshness to them which may not be apparent in studio paintings. This gives plein air paintings a special charm. |