Joe G Paintings

What's Best Way To Start Painting Plein Air?

Painting outside is fun and fulfilling. But, I had a hard time figuring out where to start, and how to do it. So, if you are new to plein air, here's the best way to get started:

Read This Book:
Hawthorne on Painting by Charles W. Hawthorne.
Actually, just read the introduction. Pages 17-20. He offers beautiful words to motivate you to get outside. He shares a positive mindset. Just "getting outside" can be the hardest part. Hawthorne's words help.

Watch This YouTube Video:
My Gouache Plein Air Set Up!! by Tiffanie Mang.
She explains the convenience of gouache for plein air. She offers several affordable, lightweight setups. She shares her minimal approach, which is essential for painting outside. She gives many tips to stay comfortable.

Get out there:
Don't overthink. Don't over research. Assemble your gear. Pick a nice day. Find a nearby spot with an interesting view. Start with a small painting. Aim for practice, not a museum masterpiece. Be kind to yourself. Congratulate yourself for painting outside. Then do it again, on another day. As Hawthorne and Mang both share, it's about the process, iteration, and habit.

These 3 things will get you started. Then keep enjoying the fun and beauty of plein air.

3 painting topics I am actively thinking about a lot:

Gouache 🎨

An opaque watercolor. I discovered it to a few year ago. It is lightweight, fast drying, non toxic, water based, and easy to cleanup.

I used to paint in oil. It was a real struggle. Heavy, bulky, wet panel carriers, turpentine, and a big mess. I dreaded traveling with oil.

But gouache is a dream. I can paint bold, thick, and vibrant... just like oil, without the fuss.

My hope over the next couple years is to continue painting in gouache, and help others realize its amazing convenience.

Traveling ✈️

I travel every couple months. Sometimes within the United States. Sometimes abroad. A benefit of my remote day job.

Traveling keeps me inspired. I like learning local languages and eating different foods.

Most importantly, it offers me fresh painting locations. Different geographies is great practice.

It has taught me the importance of convenience and minimalism. You can only pack so much! And also the importance of changing scenery to overcome a sense of stagnation.

Workshops 🖌️

Workshops are a great way to practice painting. Some are online. Very convenient. Some are in person. So I travel to attend them. But all are structured practice, which is helpful as a growing artist.

It's nice to meet friends, and make new ones. Workshops bring together like-minded artists. We get to celebrate painting together.

I'm always on the lookout for the next workshop. Maybe it's with an interesting artist. Or a fun style. Or in a cool location. Or my art friends are going.

Convenient Combination 🍲

Gouache, traveling, and workshops are all related. Especially for a plein air painter.

It is always great to connect with other artist who are interested in these same topics. Feel free to reach out, if the above resonates!

My job is software PMing 👨🏻‍💻 My hobby is painting 👨‍🎨

Good balance of digital and analog. Organized and creative. Inside and outside.

I took up the brush in 2019. I immediately got hooked. I bought painting supplies. And painted a bunch! I learned from YouTube. I attended workshops. I started a website and instagram to show my work. I started painting outside, en plein air. That was the real fun. I sold a few paintings. I made art friends. And painted more and more.

6 years later, I still paint. I have a YouTube channel of outside adventures. Remote work affords me to travel for fresh locations. Some of my paintings are in a fancy gallery.

Most importantly, painting is my refuge from high tech. My analog retreat.

After work, the computer goes away. And I paint. It brings me balance, inspiration, creativity, fantasy, and enjoyment. Then back to work. Paintings display in the background of video calls. Good conversation starters.

What's your refuge from high tech?

Winter is here in Montana, but missing fall. Here's an October painting that was a blast to paint.

I paint almost exclusively "en plein air" and "alla prima" which is French 🇫🇷 for outside... and Italian 🇮🇹 for "all at once". I also speak English and this was painted in the US 🇺🇸 So I think that makes me a tri-lingual painter... right? 😎

👋 a proper introduction!

👨‍🎨 I'm Joe G, painter of mana and impressions, mostly en plein air (painting outside).

🌿 Nature is wonderful and mystical, but fleeting in this mechanical and digital age. So I paint to appreciate nature, and as a refuge from my high tech day job.

🎨 My style is bold and painterly. I strive for the illusion of detail, je ne se qua, elements of the unknown, and leaving room for imagination.

✨ I am particularly interested in the idea of mana or energy that permeates nature. Sometimes, I can capture this in a painting. Other times, the painting is just a reminder.

⛰️ My preferred method is painting en plein air (painting outside). Magic the Gathering cards are also a big source of inspiration. And related to mana.

✈️ I frequently travel between Montana, New England, the Carolinas, Canada, France, and Italy, given my remote job, and desire for fresh painting locations.

🎓 I also teach other painters how to take their art outside, and paint with comfort and confidence.