My First Oil Plein Air Painting

This post is adapted from this thread from May 2, 2025.

I took my French easel to the park to do my first oil plein air painting today. 🧵

I kind of regret not choosing these lilacs, which may have been an easier composition.

But I had my heart set on the cherry trees, whose rapidly growing leaves were threatening to evict their pink blossoms.

I ended up choosing this fairly complicated scene with lots of different types of trees overlapping.

I immediately got a huge spliter from the easel while trying to wipe off my initial sketch. Don’t ask about this sketch lol. But enjoy a few seconds of audio if you want.

I thought I prepared pretty well. I considered how to bring home the wet panel. I thought about my brushes, wet paint, mediums, trash, sunscreen, water, snacks.

I even bought an umbrella that attaches onto my easel.

The umbrella was not enough to protect me from the sun that was setting in the direction I was facing. 🌞 The umbrella would have to block my subject matter to also block the sun. Big mistake.

(This was the view behind me, by the way!)

(I chose that location purely because my initial choice was too close to the path.

As soon as I started setting up, a state park police officer pulled up and interrogated me.

I felt uncomfortable even after he said I am allowed to paint here.)

Anyway, all the preparing I did only went so far. Things like packing up with paint-covered hands were things I was not prepared to reckon with!

Even the things I understood intellectually, like the light changing constantly, were much harder in practice.

It was so nice to see and hear the robins and blackbirds constantly flitting into my view, even though I never managed to add their likenesses to my painting.

I think I will add one or two once this first layer is dry.

I packed up and went home after a few hours because despite the sunny weather, I was getting chilly in my all-linen outfit.

When I look at this photo though, I can see what is amateurish, but overall it’s not too bad! Not for a first try, at least. Happy I went out.

photos can’t really convey the dandelions’ delicate glow but I wanted to share anyway