In our everyday life, our unique experience, our exposure to change and mistakes are what forge us into a more knowledgeable and, arguably, better person. As with anything, new painting experiences usually end with a less than desirable result. Failure is good, it makes you grow, experiment and improve your skills to conquer.
Anyone who has painted for any length of time has been told at some point, “There is nothing like painting from life,” usually in the form of a still life or portraiture. Now take everything you’ve experienced or heard about painting from life and turn it up to 11—that is plein air painting.
Painting from life is great, as you see the true colors, the true values, the true shadows, the true light. In my opinion, it’s…