Why the '8 X 10' rule?

[Philip Levine]

Of course I know this is more of an unwritten rule but I really do find it way too limiting. I've been organizing plein air painting workshops around the world for 15 years I'm still amazed at how the standard for painting outdoors is around 8 X 10 or thereabouts and very few people ever question that.
If we look at the Impressionists who pretty much started this whole thing we see that they painted quite a bit larger outside. It's probably true that they also took those paintings and finished many of them inside after the fact. I know that many plein air painters use those 8 x 10's as studies for larger paintings, but there is something truly dynamic, exciting and challenging about painting larger on location. Just the other day I ran into this guy painting here in Greenwich Village on a 48" square canvas! Totally inspiring and ambitious. I personally wouldn't paint larger than 30 x 24 outside but meeting and talking with him was energizing. He actually drilled two holes in the street and anchored down his canvas and easel to eye hooks threaded into these holes! I have a couple of photos of him here http://www.paintingfrance.com/john.htm

I'd love to hear what others say about this topic.

[Louise Treacy]

Im afraid Ive never heard of that rule written or otherwise!!
I just paint whatever size I feel like . I weigh my easel down by hanging a bag of painting stuff on the bottom rack where the canvas sits, and as I am an in case person aka "bag lady" ie I bring everything "just in case"i always have plenty to put in the bag,you can see the type of easel I use on my profile pic, which was taken by a bird watcher on Great Saltee a small island off the south coast of wexford in Ireland ,it was a beatiful day and our group went to paint there,i will try to put a couple of pics of my pieces on my site asap.

[Armand Cabrera]

As someone who derives his sole income from selling paintings maybe I can offer some insight and advice.
My standard size for outdoor work is 20x24 and I paint up to 36x48 outdoors and I sell my paintings through galleries and shows. If you go to the higher end plein air shows, probably a third to half the show is 16x20 up to 24x30 at price points for 16x20 at 6K. People who are putting in 8x10s and 9x12s are selling them for 3k plus and there is no shortage of buyers.

I think the focus should always be on quality, not size or quantity. When you get your quality up the buyers are waiting no matter what size you paint. I know professional painters in every region of the country making a living selling their paintings. In hard economic times the artists with the quality are sought out by high end collectors.

There is a reason to learn to paint larger quality work though. Jean Stern, Director of the Irvine Museum wrote an article for the California Art Club Newsletter last year talking about small quick paintings done at plein air shows and how the market leaves you with nothing of lasting value.
Galleries prefer larger pieces and the artist that can train themselves to paint large with quality will have a market waiting for them. But there is a funny thing about quality, the creator of the work doesn't decide it, the marketplace does, so claiming the work great won't bring you one buyer if what you think is quality is invisible to everyone else; especially buyers.

Too much emphasis on small, quick and cheap is killing off the shows and leaving high end collectors scrambling for better venues, where the focus is still on quality. OF course there are no shortage of participants for lower end shows and Ruskin’s quote "There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper.” holds true today.

As someone who has participated in the Laguna Plein Air Invitational and other venues over several years I can tell you good work sells not because of size or even price point but solely on the quality of the work.

[Janis Ellison]

My favorite size to paint plein air is 11x14. I find myself returning to this size most frequently. It seems to give me enough space to feel creative and not limited but small enough that I can complete in 2-3 hours, usually with some touch up back in the studio.

When painting as large as 30x24, do you return to the same location to complete or are you finishing or nearing completion on the same day?

Many times when the light is changing, I turn my easel away from the scene I was painting and just paint the painting without looking at the reference that has completely changed.

Any way that artists find works for them is valid to me. I don't think there are any rules.
Janis

[Lawrence Rudolech]

Size should not be the issue in plein air. Time is the issue, and if you can't paint it in at lest 2 hours you are chasing image. And you can forget any emotional feeling you might have had for the lighting also. And don't talk to me about a digital camera used as a reference, if you are going to do this why not go back to the studio. So paint what ever size you want - just paint and who says you have to cover every inch of the canvas with paint anyway.

[Gregg Caudell]

the older I get (56) the harder it is to mess with the small stuff. can't see! my small stuff is 11x14. many times I paint on 24x24, 18x18. I've done 30x40's. I clamp them to my french half easle or nail them to the barn wall, whatever. It does pretty well. when I grow up I'm gonna get a soltec easel. they can take a pretty big canvas. the biggest hassell is getting them home. won't fit in a pochade box. I've got paint all over the inside of my rig because of this. bigger is better. more paint! thanks for going to the trouble of taking pics of the guy on the street and posting them. yes. going back as many times as it takes is still plein air painting. who cares how long it takes. it's about 'en plein air', i.e. painting out doors. the light is better, the bugs, weather and people make you focus. best studio in the world! paint on!

[Martin Figlinski]

A good painting is a good painting, regardless of the size. It's best to work on a size that yields the best results for your level of skill and attention span. Quality is what's important--not the size.

[Jennifer Holmes]

Hi Philip,
We meet again! I love this site. I do not adhere to any size rules when painting en plein air.. I just bring a lot of different sizes with me all the way up to 30x30, 20x30 and once and awhile I might really get inspired by a place and bring something larger: with a "Take It Easel" in tow, it is not a problem. I usually go back at least one more time and sometimes as many as 5 times within a 2 week period. I love working big and I don't like to limit the energy of grabbing the size that fits the emotions for the scene, by a small rule...that someone else decided... for what ever reasons that suited them. ~Jennifer

[Steven A. Simpson]

We have to remember that "Plein air" means "painted outside", it does not necessarily mean "painting finished in one session — that would be "alla prima." I have created "plein air" pieces as large as 18X24", returning several times to the same place, same time, *similar* weather, to finish. The 8"X10" rule may just be the result of show organizers realizing that they have only a certain amount of space in which to display the finished paintings.

Jennifer Holmes said:

Hi Philip,
We meet again! I love this site. I do not adhere to any size rules when painting en plein air.. I just bring a lot of different sizes with me all the way up to 30x30, 20x30 and once and awhile I might really get inspired by a place and bring something larger: with a "Take It Easel" in tow, it is not a problem. I usually go back at least one more time and sometimes as many as 5 times within a 2 week period. I love working big and I don't like to limit the energy of grabbing the size that fits the emotions for the scene, by a small rule...that someone else decided... for what ever reasons that suited them. ~Jennifer