Our last Family Day, in June, celebrated the arrival of summer by exploring landscape paintings. These works of art show nature. They can include people, animals and buildings, but nature is their main subject. Landscape artists are inspired by their love of nature to create art and spend more time outside. Have you ever watched a sunset or hiked a trail? What’s your favorite outdoor activity to do with family or friends?
Traditional landscape painting used oil paint to show nature in a realistic manner. In the late 1800s a group of French artists known as the impressionists changed things. Many impressionist painters emphasized the practice of plein air painting, or painting outside. These artists were interested in creating an “impression” of a time and place. They experimented with noticeable brushstrokes and vibrant, unmixed colors to capture the quick changes of nature.
Now it is your turn to create your own landscape art inspired by impressionism.
You will need the following supplies:
- canvas
- oil pastels
- pencil
- Unwrap the canvas board and place it on a clean, flat surface.
- Use the pencil to sketch a quick design of a landscape. Do you want to include mountains, trees or a river? Remember, your drawing does not need to be exact. You’ll want to capture how it feels to be outside rather than exactly how nature appears.
- Similar to the visible, choppier brushstrokes of the impressionists, use the oil pastels to color your canvas with unblended marks. Experiment with different strokes to create an impressionist effect like the painting “Bridge at Old Lyme” by Frederick Childe Hassam at the top of this webpage.
- Once finished, admire your art.