Lorraine is a member of the Connecticut Plein Air Painters Society, and her Award of Merit was won at Paint the Town, the Lyme Art Association's juried plein air competition in Old Lyme, juried that year by Eileen Eder. That matters here for a plain reason: the award was earned outside, on location, under a clock, with the same kind of kit she asks a student to carry. Painting outdoors is how most of the work in her catalogue started.
Why she teaches outdoors at all
A studio is a controlled room. The light stays where you put it, the subject does not move, and you can leave a canvas on the easel for six weeks. Outdoors you lose all of that, and that is the point.
The light moves. A shadow you drew at ten o'clock is in the wrong place by noon. So you work fast, and working fast forces you to decide what the painting is about before you have earned the right to fuss. You carry less, because you have to walk with it, and a smaller kit means a shorter argument with yourself over which of nine blues to reach for. You make decisions you would never make indoors: leaving a passage alone because there is no time to fix it, simplifying a treeline into two values, committing to a sky in four strokes. Those decisions survive into the studio work afterward, which is why painters keep going out.
It is also where her subjects live. The light on the dunes and the sparkle on the water in her paintings were seen, not remembered.
The session
Outdoors, when the weather allowsRuns periodically, weather permittingOil and acrylicAsk about current rates
Painting on location. These run periodically through the warmer months rather than to a fixed calendar. There is no standing day and no standing time for this one, and this page will never show you one, because it would be a guess. Sessions are called when the forecast and the light are worth the drive, so they cluster in the warmer months and skip weeks entirely when the weather is against them. Locations change with the season.
The way to find out is to ask. Call and say you want to hear about the next plein air session, and you will be told when one is being planned rather than finding out afterward.
What to expect on location
Setting up. You arrive, you walk for a few minutes, and you choose a view. Choosing is usually the first thing Lorraine works on with someone new to it, because the most common outdoor mistake is painting what is in front of you instead of the thing that made you stop. Easel legs go into grass or sand, and you set up so your canvas is not in full sun.
Wind and sun. Wind will take a lightweight easel with it, so panels stay small and the kit stays weighted down. Sun on a white canvas lies to you about your values, which is why the canvas goes in shade if there is any to be had. Bugs, dew and a walk back to the car are part of the day.
A limited palette. Outdoors you bring a few colours and mix the rest, partly for weight and partly for discipline: a small palette holds a painting together in a way a large one rarely does. Lorraine works in oil and acrylic and teaches both outside. Acrylic behaves differently in heat and wind, which she will warn you about before you find out yourself.
Finishing, or not. Some days produce a finished small painting. Plenty of days produce a study and a set of colour notes that turn into a bigger canvas at home weeks later. Both are a good day, and deciding which one you are doing in the first ten minutes is worth more than any brush technique.
What to wear. Layers, closed shoes you do not mind ruining, a brimmed hat, sunscreen, and clothes you can get paint on. Neutral colours if you have them, because a bright white or red shirt bounces onto your canvas and quietly shifts every mix you make.
Level
Some painting experience helps. This is listed as intermediate and advanced for one honest reason: a first-ever painting class is easier indoors, where the light holds still. It is a preference, not a rule. If you have painted a bit and this is what you want to do, call and say what you have painted and what you are using. Lorraine will tell you whether to come out or to start in theweekly studio sessions in Southbury and join a location session later.
For the fuller explanation of the practice and why painters keep doing it, readwhat plein air painting is. To see where it ends up, the Cape Cod andlandscape collections are almost entirely work that began on location.
Common questions
When do the plein air sessions run?
Runs periodically, weather permitting. There is no fixed weekly slot, because the weather decides. Call (203) 525-1949 and ask to be told about the next one.
Do I need painting experience to come outdoors?
Some helps. It is not a hard bar, so call and say what you have done so far.
What do I bring?
A portable easel or pochade box, small supports, a limited palette, a rag, water or solvent, and a way to carry a wet painting home. Theoil and acrylicmaterials lists cover the paint side.
What happens if the weather turns?
The session moves, and everyone on the list for it hears directly. Theweekly studio classes are unaffected.
Do I have to finish a painting on location?
No. A study that gets resolved later is a normal and useful outcome. Finishing on the spot is one option, not the goal.