Plein Air Lesson

Plein Air is the French-originated art form of making art while surrounded by nature. Artists take the easel, paints, and canvas out on a hike and set up the studio somewhere where they feel inspired, then they paint what they see. It can be a whole landscape or just a flower.


Today we did our first "Art in the Park" walk. This was our classroom for the day:

We picked a local park and went walking, making observations along the way. Sarah and Matthew toted along notebooks to write down the sounds they heard, interesting things they explored, and sketches of sites that they liked.

Right off the bat Sarah discovered a next of eggs in a tree trunk. It might as well been the gold at the end of the rainbow, for all the joy Sarah displayed over her discovery. I don't blame her. How often do you get to see such a treasure?

We set up the art studio on a picnic table and let the children explore the park. It was so funny to hear them shouting across the pond, "Look! There's NATURE over here! I found some nature!" 

I explained the advantageous features of various seed pods, the anatomical origin of various feathers, the biology of pond algae, and we explored fossils in the limestone. Whenever we go on nature walks, I encourage the children to find "Nature Treasures": anything interesting or beautiful that they find along the way. Soon my bag was filled with seed pods, interesting leaves, pretty pebbles, and handfuls of feathers. As we hiked, I decided next time I'm not carrying around a heavy bag filled with water bottles, picnic blankets, art supplies, and snacks. We'll just bring a small canvas bag for the treasures.

At the end of the outing we settled down to draw our favorite things from the scene. Matthew was proud of a goose feather he found, but was a bit disappointed with the quality of art it produced. There isn't much color. 

Sarah found a nifty spot for her desk. 

I have such fond memories of doing an English class in the mountains in Idaho. We'd split up across the valley and each draw something we saw, or write what sounds we heard, or read excerpts from Henry David Thoreau and discuss it. I developed such a deep appreciation for the natural beauty of the Earth, and I was extremely pleased that my children loved this activity. 

They didn't want to go home. I consider this class a success.