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Chasing the Light Bob Upton, Plein Air Painter

Red Peak, Sedona, Arizona

Snelling Lake, Saint Paul, Minnesota

Lobster Cove, Monhegan Island, Maine

Sunset, Martha’s Vineyard

“I was a still-life painter for many years, but I became frustrated with how long it takes to finish a

painting. I took up plein air (open air) painting because you’re required to capture the light before it changes, so

each painting takes about three hours. I studied with Joe Paquet in Saint Paul, Minn. Joe trained at the Art Students League in New York,

whose lineage can be traced back to the Impressionists. Plein air painting became popular in the 1870s when

paints in tubes made it possible to paint outdoors. Before that, painters made their own paints with dry pigment powders and linseed oil. I belong to a group of plein air painters. We go out at least once a week, all year round. People are always intrigued when they see us painting. Everybody’s a critic; they all have a comment about what they see in the scene and what hasn’t been painted yet. It’s not easy painting outdoors. You’re either hot or cold, being bitten by bugs or sniffed by dogs. Even though it often feels as though nature is trying to keep me from painting, I find it extremely gratifying. It’s my exercise, my vocation and my passion.” —BoB UPton

View Bob’s portfolio at bobuptonstudio.com.

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Green Pier, Catalina Island

Above left: Bob’s paintbox

Left: A photo of Bob painting en plein air in Sedona