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En Plein Air SA
Step outside, slow down and paint Adelaide en plein air as South Australia turns into an open-air studio this October.
Drop into one of AGSA’s free curated painting locations across the state and create your own artwork inspired by Monet to Matisse: Defying Tradition, or book into a paid workshop and learn from a local artist.
Painting locations include the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide Botanic Garden, Carrick Hill, Mount Lofty Botanic Garden, Mount Lofty House, Barossa Regional Gallery, Sauerbier House, The Cedars, Wittunga Botanic Garden and Hahndorf Academy.
Register your interest below and we'll send you an En Plein Air SA guide and map in early-September.
Impressionism emerged in Paris in the late nineteenth century during a period of rapid social and technological change. New inventions, urbanisation, improved transport and the growing middle class transformed everyday life. Artists responded to these changes.
Leading Impressionist artists included Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet and Berthe Morisot. The movement takes its name from Monet’s painting Impression, Sunrise (1872), which captured the atmosphere and changing light of a harbour scene with loose, expressive brushwork.
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En plein air is a French term meaning “in the open air” or simply “painting outdoors”. Rather than working exclusively in a studio, Impressionist artists took their easels outside to paint directly from nature and observe the effects of light, weather and atmosphere firsthand.
Working outdoors allowed artists to respond quickly to their surroundings, capturing shifting colours, moving clouds, changing shadows and everyday life as it unfolded. Their visible brushstrokes, bright colour palettes and focus on light marked a radical departure from traditional studio painting.
Participants are required to supply their own materials. All painting mediums and surfaces are welcome.
Bring along:
- Whatever you would like to paint/draw with e.g. paint sticks, watercolours or acrylics
- Sketchbook
- Brushes
- Water container
- Folding stool
- Picnic blanket
- Pencils
- Easel
- Sunscreen, hat, drink bottle, snacks
For beginners, simple materials such as watercolour and paper, or paint sticks are recommended.