The Sunshine Coast

Rod in a happier mood on Saturday afternoon.A lot of nonsense swirls about the business of plein air painting. In The Artist's Magazine for August alla prima painter Peter Fiore notes that "Some plein air artists profess their works to be somehow more valid because they are painted on location." His reaction: "If you're a musician inspired by nature, does that mean you have to create a symphony out in the field?" Of course his favourite landscapes subjects involve New England in deep midwinter. The north east is definitely not prime plein air country. I like sunshine, a warm day and don't mind lookers-on. A devoted plein air painter, Michael Johnson describes painting in a situation where his "numb, gloved hand can hardly hold a brush." This is his idea of "painting heaven" but it sounds like masochism to me. Johnson does "tweak" his paintings indoors at the end of each session.