Plein Air Podcast, Episode 266 > Back from nearly four weeks painting en plein air in China, Eric Rhoads shares his discoveries about education-driven plein air bases, a booming watercolor scene, collaborative scrolls, and a frank art marketing conversation, all co-hosted by guest artist Paul Friederichsen.
Bonus: This interview includes a new Marketing Minute with Eric and Paul!
Listen to this episode of the Plein Air Podcast here:
.
A Plein Air Culture Rooted in Education
By Eric Rhoads
What surprised me most on this trip is how deeply plein air painting is woven into China’s art education system. Unlike the U.S., where modernist approaches pushed realism out of favor in some academic circles, much of China maintained a strong tradition of representational training — largely influenced by Russian academic practices during the mid-20th century.
Here are the core takeaways:
- Large-scale art education: Many students spend four or five years in art programs where painting from life is a requirement.
- Plein air bases: China has developed “plein air bases” — essentially large hotels/campus-like centers built in scenic locations where hundreds (sometimes thousands) of students go to paint outdoors during the summer.
- High baseline quality: Students arrive at colleges with a technical level that rivals what most of us would expect from artists with years of practice.
- Watercolor prominence: Watercolor is massive in China — more so than in the U.S. — and many of the young artists I met were trained primarily in watercolor and gouache.
- Art appreciation and school culture: Schools often have galleries and corridors filled with student work; art is taught and celebrated from a young age.
When I walked into a middle school art gallery and saw halls lined with student paintings, I realized how different the cultural diet of art has been in some parts of China. It’s common there for schools to create real galleries and to expose students to classic works alongside their own.
Plein Air Bases — How They Work
These bases are substantial operations. Think hotels with hundreds of rooms (some with bunk-style rooms to house students), massive dining halls, gyms, and large classrooms where instructors guide portraiture and still-life sessions at scale. Colleges bring students to these bases to prepare for entrance exams to top art academies. The result: millions of young people spending concentrated time painting outdoors, often with a focus on technical excellence.
Mediums, Tools, and New Habits
I’d been using oils mostly, but on this trip I leaned into gouache and watercolor out of practicality and curiosity. Chinese brushes fascinated me: soft on the outside for washes but with a stiff interior that holds a fine point. I bought brushes and calligraphy tools, and since returning I’ve been painting more watercolors back in the Adirondacks.
One clear result: Travel and exposure to other materials and approaches can genuinely shift your palette and methods. Gouache allowed quick plein air solutions that translated into larger studio oil works later.
Lessons We Can Apply at Home
If there’s one headline you should take away from all this, it’s that cultural support for art matters. In China that support comes through education, institution-building (plein air bases), and community involvement. What can we take back?
- Re-emphasize art education: More access to consistent, high-quality training helps create large numbers of competent painters.
- Build local plein air communities: Events attract tourism and strengthen local economies; we’ve seen this in the U.S. too — plein air festivals work.
- Explore collaborative formats: Big scrolls and cooperative painting can be a draw for audiences and fun for artists.
- Be open to cross-cultural exchange: Invite artists, share techniques, and let those conversations raise quality and interest.
Final Thoughts
China showed me a plein air movement that’s built from education, cultural appreciation, and a deliberate plan to create tourism and art ecosystems. There’s a lot we can learn from that approach, but we also have amazing strengths here: innovation, diversity of practice, and a rich community of plein air painters raising technical standards.
To any artist reading this: keep painting, keep being curious, and think strategically about the way you share your work. Whether you’re carrying a studio canvas down a mountain to repaint a waterfall or exploring watercolor with a new brush, the work you make and the stories you tell about it are what build audiences.
If you want more resources: PleinAir Magazine publishes widely on these topics; I run Art School Live weekdays at noon (Marketing Mondays included), and we have a free ebook of plein air tips for anyone starting out. Keep painting, keep traveling, and I hope to see you at a workshop soon — maybe even in China.
Share your thoughts with us in the comments section!
Click here to subscribe to the free newsletter, Plein Air Today
Paul’s comment about being shamed for being a realist painter was my experience too…what’s really a shame is not being given a solid foundation of traditional skills to launch from in whatever direction your creative gift takes you. This was a wonderful session, I love how China supports the arts and develops such skilled artists and would LOVE to see that level of appreciation of culture in the U.S. Agree that “art” has removed itself from everyday people and life, and contributed to the growing gap between people, nature, and general happiness and welbeing. Thank you for such an uplifting session!