Painting From Nature

For centuries, artists have attempted to capture the beauty that nature has to offer. And while human fashions and trends come and go, the simple and undeniable beauty of nature is one aspect of art with tremendous consistency. Acrylic and oil paintings feature everything from ports and peaks to flamingos and foxes. Nature is inspiring to artists, and has inspired the conservation of nature with increasing frequency as the Internet allows art and conservation to act in concert.

Painting nature is socially redeeming because:

• It raises awareness of natural beauty
  
• It inspires people to care about nature
  
• Paintings about nature help conservation efforts

Art students begin their education by recreating various aspects of nature. Whether drawing fruit in a bowl, naked subjects, or forest lines, artists tap into the random and beautiful essence of nature to create works of art. All artists, whether beginner or advanced, can use nature as a way to expand their abilities.

A few tips before heading out to paint the great outdoors:

• Know your terrain – nature is only inspiring if you make it back, so plan ahead
  
• Purchase the right gear to support painting outdoors
  
• Purchase easily transportable paint gear if you are planning to hike with it
  
• Acrylic paints are easy to clean and more earth friendly
  
• Acrylic paints require less gear than oil

Oil painting has been used for centuries to recreate work inspired by natural settings. But with the advent of more earth friendly paints, many artists are switching to acrylics. If you are considering painting natural surroundings, you likely are interested in conserving nature. Today, that conservationist attitude is called ‘Going Green’, and it’s becoming the right thing to do all over the planet.

There are many prominent groups of artists involved in conservation such as:

• Art of conservation – www. art-of-conservation.com
  
• Artists for conservation - www.natureartists.com
  
• Asian elephant art & conservation project - www.elephantart.com/

If painting nature scenes is your area of interest, visit these websites for more information.