Plein air painting is a long, but satisfying pursuit.
I owe much of my progress to these people:
Turner Vinson
I discovered Turner on YouTube. He paints on giant canvases. He embraces the wildness of nature. He uses tons of paint and juicy application.
I went to his workshop in Montana. The scenery was beautiful. He taught me a lot about oil, fundamentals, and gearing up for outside. His best advice was “Nothing is precious”. The point was to take risks. Scrape half the painting. Move things around. Start another. Paint with energy and freshness. He improved my confidence and refined my process.
Tara Will
Tara is a soft pastel painter. She paints boldly. She is a master of mark making, color, and values.
I went to her workshop with no prior knowledge of soft pastels. But I knew they were just a medium for learning proper skills. She taught me the importance of painting with gesture and finding shapes. She offered excellent critiques. She told me to sketch a lot. That is when I saw noticeable improvements in my structure and composition.
Tiffanie Mang
Tiffanie is a traditional and digital artist. She paints in oil and gouache. She works in the animation industry. She has deep knowledge of color and technical approaches.
Tiffanie introduced me to gouache, a convenient plein air medium for traveling. She offered a lightweight setup. Big comfort breakthrough for me. Also, I resonated with her mix of traditional and digital painting. I have a digital job and do analog art. So learning from Tiffanie has influenced my own duality.
These people have taught me so much. Just like they did with me, I hope to pass along my own learnings to the next painter.