Plein air artist gives advice

Hollett-Bazouzi explained en plein air, which means in “in open air” in French. Resilient and dedicated plein air artists know it means painting landscapes in sometimes less than ideal conditions, including standing for hours in rugged terrain or in the cold, heat or wind in order to capture what is natural. The old masters lived by en plein air to capture nature with its shifting lighting conditions.

Nowadays photography has changed the necessity for the artist to be there in the moment. However, artists are returning to the old ways but with new equipment to make the process easier and more enjoyable.

“I started out painting from photographs at a kitchen table,” said Hollett-Bazouzi. “Then I went outside. My first painting was a disaster.” Those that indulge in plein air often use watercolors or oils and occasionally pastels. Hollett-Bazouzi began with acrylics but found it cumbersome with too many additives. She said she is not a watercolorist and prefers oils.

She has traveled the world and painted in places like Tunisia, Venice, England and Amsterdam and found that it was hassle traveling with traditional oils and that the water-soluble variety worked well for her purposes.

“No need for turpentine, just clean up with baby oil,” she said.

Hollett-Bazouzi was an elementary school art teacher for 35 years before committing herself to painting landscapes. By making the commitment to paint outdoors on a regular basis, she learned some tricks she shared with FAA members.

“Painting outdoors has its challenges so I had to have a car with a hatch; that was a must when buying a car. I use it for shade when I’m out on a sunny day.” Windy days present their own trials for plein air artists. Hollett-Bazouzi discovered the joys of using sandbags to anchor her easel or of being chased by a bumblebee down a hillside while calling for help. But eventually everyone finds their own method of working outdoors.

She began her demonstration with a sketch. It is difficult to view a landscape in anything but either shades of green or golden brown. But Hollett-Bazouzi said she is prejudiced when it comes to green and removes it from her sight by focusing on the subtleties of other colors present, bringing out the blues, yellows, oranges and violets. Her work reflects her view with bolder, brighter colors but still maintaining the natural world she seeks in capturing.

While color is the mainstay of any artist’s work, black is always brought up and everyone responds by saying, it can be used but the preferred method is to mix colors to get your own black, yielding a far more appropriate effect.

She also works mostly with a palette knife, and rarely if ever uses a brush. Her advice, like many professional artists, is to stay loose and try not to tighten up when painting.

While discussing the nuts and bolts of plein air painting, she dipped her palette knife into paint and made light marks on the canvas. She continued by softening edges and blending as a picture of what she saw began to emerge. With knowledge in one hand, and easel and paints in the other, members set off into their own journey of artistic discovery.