CHARLOTTE — One local group is connecting with the Charlotte community through outdoor art.
Tara Spil, an organizer and artist with Charlotte Plein Air, recently spoke with Channel 9’s Elsa Gillis.
“‘Plein Air’ is a French word for ‘in the open air.’ It means to paint outdoors. It’s one of the oldest forms of art, going back to French Impressionism,” Spil said.
She added, “We’ve met in the snow, we try to go out no matter what.”
Channel 9 observed the local art group on a breezy, beautiful spring day.
“Our purpose is to get outdoors, off of screens, out in nature, connect with new places in your community that maybe you haven’t been before, and to meet new people,” Spil said.
They meet weekly, Spil said, each time in a different location.
Professionals sit beside amateur artists, painting the landscape in front of them.
Christine Weber told Channel 9 she just picked up drawing last year.
“I just showed up. I mean, I didn’t even know what I was doing. I had a wonky little kit and a clipboard, and an old sketchbook. And so it was just, it was fun. They’re so welcoming,” Weber said.
As passers-by and the bustle of the city moves alongside them, Charlotte Plein Air artists stop for a couple hours to soak in their surroundings and create.
“You kind of slow down and you get to see what’s around you, and that really is important to me, just to take it all in and accept the beauty that’s around us, and it gives you hope,” Weber said.
Charlotte Plein Air typically meets each Thursday. It’s open to all levels and all mediums.
For more information, check the Facebook page here and the Instagram page here.
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