Plein Air Painting

Winter in April

/ Tamara Brown / 4 Comments
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The final day in April saw my first foray into painting in public along downtown Indianapolis’ Canal Walk. In defiance of a cold spring drizzle that eventually became a steady dampening I set up my easel underneath a modest overhang and went to work with a few other brave artistic souls.

From my attire you would never guess that May was a day away: several layers of clothing topped by a rain jacket, winter knit hat, waterproof shoes and handy fingerless mitts, accessorized by an essential thermos full of hot tea. Nevertheless, after three hours I still lost feeling in my fingers while wrestling with thickening paint and stiffening paint brushes. Time to go home.

So far I’m pleased with the way my painting equipment works and look forward to using a new shade umbrella if the sun ever shines again. As for the effectiveness of my sign, quite a few event participants asked me why I paint.

If you want to know the answer you’ll have to come see me at my next event at Clifty Falls State Park in May.

Outside In

/ Tamara Brown / 2 Comments
Touch ups to the wetlands at Pokagon State Park.
Touch ups to the wetlands at Pokagon State Park.

Seems like Indiana’s March came in like a lamb but it’s going out like a very grumpy feline. After a beautiful Easter weekend I’ve been stuck inside touching up plein air paintings from previous visits to the parks while reading up on techniques and painting equipment. As rain lashes my apartment windows I turn up the volume on YouTube videos describing the outdoor adventures of artists in kinder climates.

Oh the irony. Spring will come in her own time I suppose. In the meantime I’ll enjoy the comforts and convenience of dry quarters and digital photography to recreate the great outdoors. After all, nothing puts a damper on plein air painting better than rain.

Leap Day

/ Tamara Brown


On this extra day of 2016 I have taken the leap, plunging into a brave new world of creative expression. I’ve pulled out my painting equipment from winter’s closet and brushed off the brushes. Palettes have been scraped clean of old doubts and crusty fears, big ideas packed for the move and my muses notified of my new location.

My calling cards come in the form of a new blog, a fresh Instagram account and a different email address. Like the proud new owner of a second home, I will split my time between the original writer’s cottage of Suburban Satsangs and a recently acquired rustic artist’s cabin called Paints in the Parks.

As with any major move I’m sure that adjustments will be made in this transition. The mental furniture may need to be rearranged and ego expectations repainted. But I find that there’s nothing that a summer’s worth of fresh forest and field of flowers won’t fix. I look forward to flinging my door wide in welcome to babbling brooks, gushing waterfalls, stoic cliffs and mysterious caves.

And of course, my door is always open to you, dear reader. I hope you’ll make the leap with me and that I’ll see you here at my new digs this year.

Writing for Art

/ Tamara Brown


My tradition the last few years has been to choose a “word” for the year starting in January. My word for 2015 was “Write” and while I confess that I did write a fair bit my greatest efforts weren’t in the form I’d imagined last year. Instead of the usual creative outlets like journal entries, poetry or even that book I keep promising to self-publish, I spent a huge chunk of my time in the throes of the hardest writing of my life — along with the blinking cursor of an online grant application that I filled out last fall.

As a grizzled veteran of numerous English research papers and an agonizingly procrastinated Master’s thesis this is no small claim. The precise language and focused nuances required in proposing my project and asking for funding threw me into a strange new world since I struggled to accurately portray a vision that would benefit the public as well as my own personal pursuits. You see this particular grant focuses on creating art outside in state parks, and in my case that art will be visual rather than verbal.

That’s right, my battles with the written page have been transferred to the terrors of a blank canvas all in the name of celebrating art in nature. And I will gladly take on that challenge if I can convert even one person to the joys of spending artistic time outdoors whether it’s to write a poem, compose a song, dance a jig, or set up an easel to paint.

Plus, I’ll be able to travel to some of the most beautiful natural settings that Indiana has to offer with a trusty assistant (my husband) and invite the great outdoors to be my personal work space. In the weeks to come you’ll see a new WordPress blog called “Paints in the Parks” detailing my journey as I paint scenic landscapes in six state parks while I research my painting subjects and interact with the park visitors who stop by my easel.

I believe that in our modern society we spend too much time cooped up in homes or offices that can become self-made prison cells preoccupied with the flickering screens of fake connections and false avatars while a sentient world lies just outside our doors, at the bus stop, on the bike trails, in the parks, and under the shade trees in our backyards; all waiting to be celebrated through ART — my word for 2016.