Farley Lewis

Here are four skills – insider secrets, if you will – I have found to be almost essential for the plein air artist.

1. Skipping rocks – Knowing how to skip a rock across a creek or pond is especially helpful when your painting is going south and you need a distraction.
   
   
2. Climbing trees – This skill is useful in at least three ways: 1) It provides excellent views to spot better vistas, 2) it gives you a good vantage point to help you find your way out of the woods when you get lost, and 3) it’s a helpful distraction when your painting is going south.
   
   
3. Catching crawdads – Trying to catch these little guys teaches you about risks and rewards, a key to doing better paintings. The reward is apparent and exhilarating, watching the crawdad dangle from your fingers, trying but unable to pinch you. The risk is also obvious – as any veteran plein air painter will tell you, those claws hurt. And, crawdad hunting can be a useful distraction when your painting is going south (did I already say that?).
   
   
4. Making snow angels – Any artist knows that perspective is key, and the perspective gained while lying on your back in the snow is priceless. In this position, you get a feel for how huge the sky is, even the universe (if you are a skilled observer). This also reminds us how small we are, and how little it matters in the grand scheme of things whether or not we win an award at the plein air event. And because making snow angels is not exactly dignified, it also helps break off the fear of what other people think of you, an essential attitude to grow as an artist. And, when your painting is going south, just go with it. Go south of the bad weather; painting in the snow is for crazy people.

I hope these tips help in your plein air painting as they have helped me. They may not help you win awards, but that’s not why we go to the woods to paint in the first place.