Into plein air: Painting Taylor’s Island

Land, sea, sky. What could possibly be more enticing to an artist?

Most landscape painters will tell you there’s something special about getting out of the studio and into the natural world where their subjects live and breathe. Working in situ is about capturing the natural light, feeling the breeze and absorbing the sights and sounds that define a location.

It’s better still when artists can share the experience with a few like-minded friends.

This weekend, Island artist Linda Puls leads a two-day plein air painting workshop on Taylor’s Island in Coecles Harbor. Sponsored by the Taylor’s Island Foundation, it’s a rare opportunity to get out, visit the Smith-Taylor Cabin and capture the scenery of this unique place. Participating artists will have the freedom to explore the island, set up their easels in front of a view they like, and get to work.

“In plein air painting, it’s like you’re part of the environment. You get a better feel of the atmosphere, the weather and what you want to paint,” explained Ms. Puls during a recent interview in her studio. “Working from a photograph is O.K., but it’s not as good as being on location.”

The plein air workshop came about last year when P.A.T. Hunt, co-chair of the Taylor’s Island Preservation & Management Committee, approached Ms. Puls, who is a volunteer for the foundation, and asked if she’d be interested in leading it.

She was, and for the record, Taylor’s Island is technically a tombolo — an island attached to the mainland by a narrow piece of land, such as a sand bar. While you can walk to Taylor’s Island at low tide, something a little more seaworthy is required to get there at high tide.

“It’s really a lot of fun. P.A.T. provides the transportation and the boat,” explained Ms. Puls. “You bring a bag lunch and she provides soft drinks and a boat ride home.”

“It’s so nice to be out there and paint with the water around you. It’s very quiet,” added Ms. Puls.

The workshop is a fundraiser, with Ms. Puls donating the $75 per student fee back to the Taylor’s Island Foundation. It also fulfills a long-term goal for Ms. Hunt.

“For 10 years, we’ve had a clipboard at Taylor’s Island asking people how they envision enjoying this place, and we’ve gotten a lot of comments,” said Ms. Hunt by phone. “One comment was, ‘I’d love to come out and do plein air painting.’”

“This is  one more thing we can cross off our list,” she said.

By the way, it’s not necessary to be an expert painter to take part. Last year’s workshop attracted a wide range of participants — from novices who had never before picked up a brush to artists with a fair amount of experience, including one art teacher.

“I felt good because they all got something out of the workshop itself and being on Taylor’s Island,” said Ms. Puls.

Catering to the varied needs of a range of painting students can be challenging, and Ms. Puls explained how she approaches the workshops.

“Some of the best artists take classes and you always get something out of it whenever you take a workshop,” Ms. Puls said. “I did my undergraduate work in fine art and education, so I decided to do a lesson plan. I send the plan out with tips and materials they can learn about beforehand.”

The artists bring their own supplies and preferred medium — watercolors, oils, acrylics — and Ms. Puls advises them to first spend some time wandering Taylor’s Island, studying the landscape before they select the spot they’d like to focus on in their painting.

“They should do a little sketch first — maybe two or three — to try out the composition,” said Ms. Puls, who helps refine compositions if necessary and then sends the artists back out to work on their paintings. “I go around individually to help them if they need it.”

“Afterwards, we do a critique and I ask what they like about their painting and what they don’t like,” she said. “The next day, they go on with the piece.”

And if the artists can’t manage to complete the work on site during the two-day workshop?

“Plein air is about painting outside and trying to finish it off in one sitting when you can,” Ms. Puls said. “If you can’t, I tell everyone to bring a camera.”

Ms. Puls explained that because the light is constantly changing, one of the hardest aspects of painting on location is capturing the highlights and shadows. For that reason, she advises students to focus on shapes as well as the darks and lights in a scene and try to paint those values first. Then they can resort to photographs to complete the piece in the studio if need be.

Regardless of the final results, Ms. Puls noted that the experience of painting on Taylor’s Island is really about something more.

“For me as an artist, it’s about the whole environment,” she said. “It’s a beautiful place to be.”

“When you paint in other places, someone is always looking over your shoulder. Here, it’s quiet and you can really concentrate.

“The place just feels good and it has great values.”