Capturing Sonoma's Beauty: Plein Air Painting
Model leading horse with Barbara Fugate Riding during Plein-air Painting Workshop. Photo By Laura Bassett
Capturing Sonoma's Beauty: The Sonoma Plein Air
This week we will talk about one of my passions: Plein Air Painting. This is the practice of painting outdoors. It can be an adventure as you’re at the mercy of the weather, bugs, and everything else. Most importantly you’re under a crunch from time. The light constantly changes and you have as little as half an hour to capture a landscape.
As a teen, I was lucky enough to study with the incredible Seattle Artist Barbara Fugate. She had a yearly workshop on the island I lived on, teaching impressionist plein-air painting. We would spend a long weekend, painting and learning from her and other historical painters. We covered color theory, and different impressionists and had a model in the landscape to paint.
Plein air painting of woman and her dog in the woods by Laura Bassett.
There is a long history tying together gardens and painters. One of my favorite tidbits from art history is that landscape painters would often paint in a little figure somewhere and those paintings. The reason, paintings with people always sold better than just pure landscapes.
As we touched on last week, light plays a huge role in how we perceive a landscape. Impressionist artists tried to catch this quick window of time with their paintings. Let me tell you, when you only have 30 minutes before the shadows shift it can be stressful. Now we have photography and other methods of capturing that one perfect moment in the landscape.
This early education is one of the cornerstones of my design philosophy. It’s hard for me to talk about how I paint with plants without getting into today’s subject so join me on this little branch of garden-related topics. First, let’s talk about the upcoming Sonoma Plein Air Festival and why you may want to plan a trip to Sonoma this coming weekend!
Sonoma Plein Air Festival: Origins and What to Expect
Artist at plein air festival in Sonoma CA https://www.sonomapleinair.com/
Every September, the picturesque landscapes of Sonoma County becomes a canvas for artists from around the world. The Sonoma Plein Air Festival was founded in 2002 by a group of local artists and art lovers. It is a week-long event that celebrates the tradition of plein-air painting, where artists paint outdoors, capturing the natural beauty of their surroundings in real-time.
The festival is more than just a gathering of artists; it's a community celebration of art, nature, and culture. Throughout the week, you’ll see artists scattered across Sonoma’s vineyards, rolling hills, and historic plazas, creating vibrant works that reflect the essence of the region. The festival culminates in a public art exhibition and sale in Sonoma’s Historic Plaza. Visitors can meet the 31 artists, view their work, and even purchase a piece to take home.
This event also serves as a fundraiser for art education in local schools, ensuring that future generations can continue to appreciate and create art. Whether you're an art enthusiast or simply looking for a unique way to experience Sonoma County, the Sonoma Plein Air Festival offers something for everyone.
Plein Air Festival in Sonoma https://www.sonomapleinair.com/
The first year I attended the festival I was floored by the beautiful paintings and the range of different styles represented. Having painted in this style made me appreciate the work these painters had just completed. I would highly recommend heading down to Sonoma Square on Saturday, September 14, 2024, at 10:00 AM
Guy Rose Oak Grove Carmel Wiki Art
The History of Plein Air Painting: Famous California Plein Air Painters
Plein-air painting, or "painting in the open air," has roots in the early 19th century with the Barbizon School in France, later popularized by the French Impressionists. This movement spread globally, with California becoming a significant center in the early 20th century.
Timeline:
Grape Harvest by Joaquín Sorolla from WikiArt
1874: Impressionism emerges in France, setting the stage for global influence.
1915: The Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco introduces California artists to French Impressionism.
1920s: The California Impressionism movement peaks, with artists like William Wendt and the Society of Six capturing the state's landscapes.
1970s: A revival of interest in California Impressionism begins, cementing its historical significance.
This timeline highlights how California Impressionism evolved, with artists such as William Wendt, Guy Rose, and Granville Redmond at the forefront, painting in remote areas to capture the natural beauty and light of California. Their legacy continues to influence modern plein-air painters, celebrated in festivals like the Sonoma Plein Air Festival.
The California Six: The Society of Six, also known as the California Six, was a group of avant-garde artists in the 1920s who embraced bold colors and modernist styles while painting the California landscape. Among them was Selden Gile, known for his vibrant depictions of Northern California. Gile's cabin in the Marin County hills became the group's meeting place, where they would paint together and critique each other’s work. Despite being lesser-known during their time, their collective works significantly contributed to the California Impressionist movement, bringing a fresh, expressive approach to plein-air painting.
For more detailed information, you can visit the full article here.
Indian Tobacco Trees, La Jolla by Guy Rose Wiki Art
Water Lilies by Claude Monet Wiki Art
Famous Gardens Featured in Plein Air Paintings
Pathway in Monet's Garden at Giverny by Claude Monet Wiki Art
Gardens have long been a favorite subject for plein air painters, offering a controlled yet ever-changing environment filled with color, texture, and light. Some of the most famous plein-air paintings feature gardens, capturing not only the beauty of the plants but also the atmosphere and mood of the space.
Claude Monet’s Garden at Giverny is perhaps the most iconic example. Monet didn't just paint his garden—he meticulously designed it as a living masterpiece. Starting in 1883, Monet began transforming the land around his home in Giverny, creating a garden that would serve as both his inspiration and subject. He approached his garden with the eye of an artist, carefully planning the layout to ensure a continuous bloom of flowers throughout the seasons. Monet was particularly fascinated with water and reflections, leading him to create a water garden complete with a Japanese bridge and water lilies. His famous series of water lily paintings capture the play of light and reflection in this carefully curated environment, blending the boundaries between nature and art.
In addition to Monet's garden, other famous gardens like the Alhambra in Spain and the Boboli Gardens in Italy have inspired countless plein-air works. Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida, a master of capturing light, painted the Hall of the Ambassadors at the Alhambra, showcasing the intricate interplay of architecture and nature. Similarly, John Singer Sargent, known for his exquisite brushwork, painted Florence: Fountain, Boboli Gardens, capturing the tranquil beauty of the historic Italian garden.
Hall of the Ambassadors Alhambra Granada by Joaquín Sorolla Wiki Art
In California, artists have turned their attention to the state’s diverse botanical gardens, from the Huntington Gardens in Southern California to the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens. These spaces offer a living canvas where the artist can explore the relationship between natural beauty and human creativity.
While I don’t claim to be in the league of these incredible painters, I’ve enjoyed the pastime of painting in the garden. There’s something grounding about having a sketchbook and a set of watercolors in hand, capturing the ephemeral beauty of a garden scene.
For more detailed information on Monet's garden at Giverny, you can visit the full article here.
Florence Fountain, Boboli Gardens John Singer Sargent Wiki Art
Thank you for letting me share with you a bit about Plein Air Painting, its connection to the garden, and a little bit of my own experiences. We will tie this into a later blog about some landscape design principles that overlap and how you can paint with plants, not just paint plants in your garden.
