GET OUTSIDE & PAINT

EXPERIENCE THE WILDERNESS WITH A PLEIN AIR PAINTING GROUP

BY AISLINN SARNACKI

Imagine sitting at the edge of the ocean, paintbrush in hand and a canvas before you. A cool, salty breeze tempers the heat of the sun. Shadows shift and deepen and grow. Waves dance and sparkle. Your goal is to capture a piece of this dynamic scene, to bring it to life in washes of watercolor.

Painting outdoors — also known as plein air painting — is a great way to experience the wilderness while stretching your artistic muscles. It can also be a social opportunity.

Throughout Maine, groups gather at scenic locations to paint outdoors. Whether you’re a seasoned artist or new to painting, these events are an opportunity to learn new techniques, make friends and — hopefully — create a painting or two.

“Any time there’s a sunny Maine day, I’d rather be outside than inside and painting,” said Fran Scannell, one of the top organizers for the group Plein Air Painters of Maine. “It’s sort of like knitting or playing music or reading where it just relaxes you. It’s wonderful to be outside in a beautiful spot and get lost in your painting.”

Plein Air Painters of Maine was created in 2009, when four professional artists from the Boothbay region started painting together outdoors every Wednesday. In just a few years, the group grew rapidly to over 600 members. It later split into regional chapters, each with their own schedule of group plein air events.

Today, seven chapters plan events throughout the state, starting at the beginning of May and running until the end of October. Locations of the events vary from state parks to private islands. Beginners are more than welcome. “People are really supportive of each other,” said Sarah Baskin, who joined the group last year and became the top organizer for the Acadia Re“IT’S SORT OF LIKE KNITTING OR PLAYING gion chapter. “If someone

MUSIC OR READING WHERE IT JUST were new and came [to a plein air painting event],

RELAXES YOU. IT’S WONDERFUL TO BE there would be plenty of OUTSIDE IN A BEAUTIFUL SPOT AND GET people to ask questions LOST IN YOUR PAINTING.” of or to watch.” Plein air painters use a variety of materials, including watercolor, oil and acrylic paints. Some paint on canvas and use an easel, while others use different types of paper and clipboards or notebooks. “Some people are really quick and just come with a sketchbook and sketch a few things,” Baskin said.

Sarah Baskin’s easel displays a plein air painting she’s working on at Fort Point State Park in Stockton Springs during a group painting event in the summer of 2021. PHOTO COURTESY OF SARAH BASKIN

All Plein Air Painters of Maine group paint events are free. However, some locations such as state parks do charge admission fees. Also, due to limited parking or space at some locations, members are sometimes asked to RSVP.

Attendance varies depending on the weather, time of year and location, Scannell said.

“Sometimes I’m painting with three other people, and sometimes it’s 20,” she said.

Plein air painting can be challenging, even for experienced artists. Painting outdoors forces artists to work more quickly than they may be accustomed to in the studio. This is because the weather and lighting are constantly changing.

The western Maine chapter of Plein Air Artists of Maine occasionally plans events in the late afternoon so artists can capture the sunset over the western Maine and New Hampshire mountains.

“For that, we get there about three hours before sunset,” said Mike Ranucci, lead

Members of Plein Air Painters of Maine paint on Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park. PHOTO COURTESY OF LINDA KELLEY

Beverly Bono works on a painting at Town Hill Park in Blue Hill during a group painting event in the summer of 2021. PHOTO COURTESY OF SARAH BASKIN

organizer for that chapter. “Then we paint like crazy just before the sun goes away.”

In addition, the weather is often unpredictable.

“It can start raining in the middle of when you’re painting, or the wind can pick up and knock things over,” Baskin said. “I actually lost a painting last summer … it blew into the ocean and I had to borrow a friend’s boat to go and try and retrieve it. Miraculously, it was fine.”

The social aspect of plein air painting can also be challenging for some artists who are accustomed to working alone in their studios. When painting outdoors, especially if you’re in a public location, you will often attract comments or questions from passersby, Baskin said. That amount of interaction is only amplified if you’re painting with a group.

However, some painters thrive from sharing their process and observing others work.

“I’m a very social person,” Baskin said. “With watercolor, you need some things to dry, so while my paint is drying, I’ll walk around and talk to people about what they’re painting and their challenges and successes. And sometimes we go out to lunch together after.”

Other groups and businesses in Maine offer plein air painting experiences, some of which include more structured instruction. For example, Coastal Maine Art Workshops organizes a variety of plein air and studio workshops, each hosted by a different artist. And the Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park has hosted several multi-day plein air painting workshops over the years.

“You can go to five different artists’ workshops and they’ll teach you five different ways to do plein air paintings,” Ranucci said. “There’s a lot of different ways to do it, and they’re all valid. You can take something from each workshop and incorporate it into what you do.”

If interested in learning more about Plein Air Painters of Maine, visit pleinairpaintersofmaine.blogspot. com, where you’ll find a link to a list of upcoming events.

“...WHILE MY PAINT IS DRYING, I’LL WALK AROUND AND TALK TO PEOPLE ABOUT WHAT THEY’RE PAINTING AND THEIR CHALLENGES AND SUCCESSES.”