The Glasgow Boys and the Rise of Scottish Outdoor Painting
How the Glasgow Boys used plein air practice to transform Scottish painting. Practical lessons on location, tonal method, and where to see their work.
Stories & History
1 Sept 2026
Inspiration
A more reflective side of plein air painting, shaped by artists, places, stories, and ideas. Alongside practical guidance, this section explores the wider creative world of painting outdoors and what continues to make it such a rewarding way to work.
Winston Churchill: The Painter Who Took His Easel Outdoors
A focused look at Winston Churchill the painter: his Chartwell landscapes, Mediterranean canvases, compact plein air kit, and lessons for painters on habit, repetition, and adapting to light.
Stories & History
23 Aug 2026
The Camden Town Group and Landscape Painting: What These Artists Can Teach Outdoor Painters Today
Practical guide to Camden Town Group landscape painting and what outdoor painters can learn from their focus on ordinary parks, suburbs, allotments and working with grey British light.
Stories & History
8 Aug 2026
Laura Knight: Painting the Coast, the Hills, and the Open Air
Tracing Laura Knight plein air from Staithes and Lamorna to the Malvern Hills, this examines her large-scale, site-specific outdoor paintings and their hard-won observation.
Stories & History
25 Jul 2026
Constable Country, Suffolk: Painting in the Footsteps of a Master
A practical plein air guide to Constable Country Suffolk, with key painting sites, travel routes, timing tips, and where to see The Hay Wain in the landscape that inspired Constable.
Stories & History
12 Jul 2026
Why The Hay Wain Is Britain's Most Loved Landscape Painting
How a Suffolk millpond, oil sketches and Paris praise made The Hay Wain painting a national icon. Its cleaning, protests, and lessons for painters keep it alive.
Stories & History
11 Jul 2026
Turner's Margate: The Seaside Town That Inspired Britain's Greatest Painter
Stand where Turner stood in Margate and see the skies that shaped his art. Key Turner Margate paintings, viewing locations, and practical plein air tips.
Stories & History
4 Jul 2026
The Heidelberg School: How Australian Impressionism Transformed Plein Air Painting
How the Heidelberg School transformed plein air painting in Australia by adapting palette, methods, and group practice while carrying complex colonial meaning.
Stories & History
27 Jun 2026
How the Paint Tube Changed Art Forever
John Goffe Rand's 1841 tin paint tube made oil paint portable and reliable. It enabled plein air painting, broadened access to oils, and helped make Impressionism possible. The basic tube endures.
Stories & History
5 Jul 2026
The Barbizon School: The French Rebels Who Made Landscape Art
An accessible guide to Barbizon School painting: its forest roots, key artists, plein air methods, and practical lessons for British outdoor painters.
Stories & History
20 Jun 2026
The St Ives Artists Colony: Where British Art Met the Atlantic
A concise guide to the St Ives artists colony: its Atlantic light, key figures from Wallis to Hepworth, Tate St Ives and practical tips for plein air painting in Cornwall.
Stories & History
13 Jun 2026
The Women Who Shaped Impressionism: Morisot, Cassatt and Bracquemond
Morisot, Cassatt, Bracquemond and Gonzalès moved from margin to centre, showing how domestic and garden subjects, bold cropping and vivid colour reshaped Impressionism.
Stories & History
4 Jun 2026
The Newlyn School: Cornwall's Plein Air Pioneers
How a group of British painters made Newlyn a leading plein air colony. The Newlyn School painters chose Atlantic light, painted working people honestly, and shaped plein air practice still taught today.
Stories & History
13 Jun 2026
The History of Plein Air Painting: From Pig Bladders to Paint Tubes
A concise guide to the history of plein air painting, tracing outdoor practice from early oil sketches and the paint tube through Barbizon, Impressionism, British colonies, and today's revival.
Stories & History
20 Jun 2026
Claude Monet and the Art of Plein Air Painting
Monet's plein air painting teaches outdoor artists to return to one subject, work in series, rotate multiple canvases, and embrace changing light and weather.
Stories & History
18 Sept 2026
Constable vs Turner: Two Visions of the British Landscape
A clear comparison of Constable vs Turner, showing Constable's careful observation and Turner's luminous feeling, their rivalry, influence, and where to see their works.
Stories & History
18 Sept 2026
How the Impressionists Changed Outdoor Painting Forever
The Impressionists made plein air painting central to modern art by taking paint into the landscape, using new materials and fast techniques to record specific moments of light.
Stories & History
27 Jun 2026
JMW Turner: Chasing Light Across Britain
Turner turned restless field observation into lessons on sketching, colour notes, and painting atmosphere. Practical guidance for outdoor painters following his lead.
Stories & History
10 Jun 2026
John Constable: The Father of British Plein Air Painting
A guide to Constable's disciplined plein air practice showing how his sky studies and annotated field sketches shaped his studio masterpieces and inform contemporary outdoor painting.
Stories & History
4 Jun 2026