Plein Air Painting & Urban Sketching: My Experience at PACE
By Mike Daikubara
Earlier this year, I learned about an art convention called PACE (Plein Air Convention & Expo) held in Asheville, North Carolina this year. As an avid urban sketcher for over 20 years, I was curious about the motivations and techniques of plein air artists who primarily paint outdoors in nature.
Despite the shared practice of capturing the world through on-site observation, I had never tried plein air painting, so I ventured out and spent three full days at the convention, soaking up as much as possible and sketching away.
Convention Breakdown
PACE is divided into artist demos and afternoon painting outings, with a packed agenda making it tough to choose which demos to attend.
First Demo I attended: Iain Stewart – “Sketching on Location”
Iain’s demo focused on letting go of stress and capturing memories through watercolor sketching. I sketched during his demo, appreciating his humor and honesty, which shone through his beautiful artwork.
Eric Rhoads’s “Art Marketing Bootcamp”
Eric, who is the CEO of Streamline Publishing and Host of PACE, delivered a fascinating talk on art and marketing, emphasizing the importance of marketing for artists to make a living. His down-to-earth approach made marketing seem approachable and exciting, leaving me inspired to turn my passion into a sustainable career.
Jill Carver’s Demo: Creative Design Choices
Jill highlighted the importance of shape, value, color, and asking yourself what if? in painting. Watching her make creative decisions and seeing the piece evolve was insightful, contrasting with my quick urban sketching.
Paint Out at the Great Smoky Mountains
The first paint out took us to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, offering a vast vista of artists set up with tripods and canvases. It was a scene unlike any I’ve witnessed.
Paint Out at the Oconaluftee Indian Village
At the Indian village, I aimed to paint a small stream with an artist in my composition, but bugs chased her off before I could capture her.
Paint Out at Darnell Farms
At the Darnell Farms paint-out, heavy rain made sketching challenging, but I managed to capture the scene of artists in the beautiful scenery before heading home to Charlotte, North Carolina.
Reflections on Urban Sketching vs Plein Air Painting
A week after PACE, I reflected on my experience and observations. (Note: These are just some highlights I personally experienced and not meant to be a definitive approach to doing things.)
Equipment: Plein air painters carry more supplies like easels, canvases, and numerous brushes, unlike urban sketchers who rarely use these tools. Sketchbooks were surprisingly uncommon among plein air artists.
Focal Point: Plein air artists focus on capturing light, color, and shapes, whereas urban sketchers prioritize storytelling or event context.
Time: Plein air painters can spend many hours on a single painting, showcasing a level of concentration impressive compared to the quicker urban sketches.
Mediums: Plein air artists use a range of mediums like oils, acrylics, and pastels, while urban sketchers gravitate toward portable mediums like pen and watercolors. Digital sketching mediums were also not seen.
Surfaces: Plein air artists prefer single canvases or sheets of paper over painting inside sketchbooks.
Subject Matter: Plein air artists predominantly capture nature and landscapes, whereas urban sketchers focus on urban environments.
In conclusion, while both plein air and urban sketching share the core passion of capturing scenes from direct observation, their approaches, tools, and mindsets differ significantly. However, these disciplines can complement each other for deeper growth as visual artists. Plein air painting encourages urban sketchers to spend more time scrutinizing and concentrating on a single piece, while urban sketching offers plein air artists a quicker, looser drawing style for more frequent visual capture.
I left the conference with a newfound depth of thinking, eager to explore both disciplines. Stepping outside one’s comfort zone by trying new approaches is invaluable for any artist’s continued evolution.
Connect with Mike Daikubara at www.daikubara.com.
