On May 2, students from Courtney Young’s Drawing and Painting class in Bethpage High School took their studies outdoors with a visit to Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay.
Surrounded by blooming spring flowers and sweeping landscapes, the students immersed themselves in the environment to practice plein air painting – a technique they had been studying in class.
“I think way too many of them spend too much time indoors and on their phones, and plein air painting gives them the opportunity to be outside and create art while at the same time being able to hear the sounds of nature and birds, the smell of flowers and use all their senses,” Young said.
During the trip, students were tasked with creating small observational studies of plants, flowers or trees, with the option to expand their focus to broader landscape scenes.
Painting and drawing outdoors allowed them to engage all their senses, leading to a richer, more accurate representation of color and value than what is typically achieved by working from photographs. With sketchbooks and paint sets in hand, the students had the freedom to explore the entire historic Gold Coast estate.
After a productive morning of artmaking, they gathered for a picnic lunch, enjoying the sunshine and serene beauty of one of Long Island’s most stunning public gardens.
Young said the inspiration to bring the students outside came from her own work to bring the students outside. She said she has traveled across the country, most frequently in the summer, to paint landscapes.
