What do you mean by Plein Air?

Plein air painting was popular in the United States in the early part of the 1900's and has seen a real revival in the past decade or so.  This style of painting was popularized by the French Impressionists of the latter part of the 1800's. They painted outside, recording in all kinds of weather, the world around them as was visible in the fleeting light of that day. There were no digital cameras to record the moment. Some artists were able to complete a work of art in one sitting, they called this (Alla Prima), others would return to the same spot at the precise time of day when the lighting was the same as the day the painting was started.
Today plein air painters paint with the same restrictions the masters impressionist of the 1800's had to deal with. There are some painters today that use digital photo image to enable them to produce an attractive painting which they couldn't achieve without, and refer to themselves as Plein Air Painters. They are cheating them selves and their patrons. You might use an analogy like someone riding a bus during a marathon.  The bus rider may arrive at the finish line with full glory, yet his talent is far below the sweaty dedicated world class runner who puts in his time and dedication. A talented plein air painter will paint circles around the bus rider! Sadly, it is sometimes difficult for the uneducated viewer to see at first, and some judges have difficulty knowing whose work is the strongest, unless they have put in time them selves to learn to see simply, they often miss what is truly important. This is also true with studio work. The artist that chooses to paint from photo images or project the image on the painting surface instead of drawing it free hand, suffers the same fate as the pretend plein air painter. Even most of the current plein air competitions allow ways for a artist to again (ride the bus) without people or judges knowing. It would be ideal if they could have some ways of monitoring the artist so they can't go hide somewhere with the laptop and paint from a digital image they have just taken and enter it in a plein air competition, sometimes robbing the award from someone more deserving. The work of talented artists who truly paint plein air, and paint with honesty will be at the top of the collectors and Museum curator’s lists, when the fog blows away or when the smoke clears. A couple of artist you might like to look at and study to recognize talent are: John Singer Sargent, Joaquin Sorolla. Velázquez would be a good one to focus on also. With the art world as it is today it is difficult for most students and collectors to know who to follow. They are at the mercy of their educators. And if their educators are miss guided, then so are his students and so on.

Give it your best, Steven Heward