The Many Hells of Plein Air Painting

Posted on October 10, 2012 in Blog Post, Editorial, Plein Air Painting

“Why the hell won’t the universe let me paint?!!”

 

 

Over the past few years, I’ve given a lot of thought to the experiences we Plein Air painters share, and I think it’s best described as the Many Hells of Plein Air Painting. This includes:

  1. The hell of biting insects
  2. The hell of flying swarms of insects
  3. The hell of suicide gnats
  4. The hell of inquisitive small children with curious hands
  5. The hell of annoying inquisitive adults with repetitive questions
  6. The hell of the fellow who stands too close and won’t leave
  7. The hell of a nearby restaurant
  8. The hell of the dying of the light
  9. The hell of sudden downpours
  10. The hell of persistent drizzling rain
  11. The hell of moving light sources
  12. The hell of moving subject matter
  13. The hell of broken equipment
  14. The hell of the obstructing moving van
  15. The hell of the sore shoulder
  16. The hell of high winds and broken umbrellas
  17. The hell of knocked over easels
  18. The hell of belligerent livestock
  19. The hell of crawling insects
  20. The hell of nowhere to park
  21. The hell of numb fingers and aching hands
  22. The hell of icy cutting wind
  23. The hell of dehydration
  24. The hell of heatstroke and open sun
  25. The hell of bad sunburn
  26. The hell of dropped solvent containers
  27. The hell of dropped paintings
  28. The hell of damaged frames
  29. The hell of lost paperwork
  30. The hell of bear encounters
  31. The hell of slippery rocks
  32. The hell of wet shoes
  33. The hell of errant palette knives and bandages
  34. The hell of eyestrain and long commutes
  35. The hell of no sales
  36. The TSA
  37. The hell of low blood sugar
  38. The hell of unavailable restrooms
  39. The hell of blaring festival music
  40. The hell of conflicting obligations
  41. The hell of territorial waterfowl
  42. The hell of seagull and pigeon droppings
  43. The hell of parking tickets
  44. The hell of urban sprawl and development
  45. The hell of backseat painters & art critics
  46. The hell of heckling teenagers
  47. The hell of trespassing signs
  48. The hell of unruly maps
  49. The hell of pedestrian traffic
  50. The hell of dead mp3 player batteries and misplaced headphones
  51. The hell of people who need to park where you’re standing
  52. The hell of backlit subject matter
  53. The hell of closed supply stores
  54. The hell of procrastination

Can you think of some that I missed?