One of the most rewarding, yet challenging, painting endeavors is pleinair painting ( Outdoor painting) . Every month or two, I take my mentees and students ( some in-studio practice is recommended prior) to an outdoor location to paint. At times we go take a trip to the beach, or visit a local garden.

Pleinair painting is a beautiful way of challenging one’s practice; you get to make fast decisions in a short amount of time because of the constant change in lighting conditions. Yet, through practice, it becomes one of the most enjoyable experiences painting has to offer, and you do not need to be a professional painter to access it, through careful customized teaching which I happily share with all my students and mentees, this practice is readily accessible to anyone who has the curiosity and passion.

On this particular trip, we gathered early in the morning and took off to Sokhna, where Dayra Al Sokhna has graciously hosted us. The weather was surprisingly nice, considering that we went in the middle of summer. We spent roughly 6 hours there, and everyone got to paint at least two paintings.

The wonderful thing about painting outdoors is that we break the cycle of expectations, where at first everyone was compelled to paint the sea, since it is the reason why we went, but soon enough everyone drifted to paint things that interested them, Some painted the mountains along with the beach, some painted the umbrellas ( I myself painted two pieces of those) .