The Beginnings of the Central Connecticut Plein Air Guild
How a chat after a gallery visit turned into a dozen easels along the Farmington River.
The Central Connecticut Plein Air Guild all started with a happenstance conversation with a fellow artist whose work I greatly admire. Her name is Lakshmi, and she happens to be an incredibly talented plein air painter.
After a gallery visit at the Art League of New Britain, I met this amazing woman, and we started talking about our shared passion for painting and the desire to hold ourselves accountable for getting out there and practicing our craft. One thing led to another, emails were exchanged, and the seeds of the Central Connecticut Plein Air Guild were planted. More people joined the conversation, and within a month, we had ourselves a little group.
All of this happened in the dead of winter.
We knew we had a couple of months to gather steam and get ourselves organized. How would we communicate? How often would we meet? Where and when would we paint? What logistics needed to be in place to help things run smoothly?
Our group had grown large enough that we needed something beyond text messages and the ever-dreaded text-splitting. We opted to move to WhatsApp. While the platform isn’t perfect, we’ve had success communicating that way. If the group maintains its interest and momentum through 2026–2027, I’ll explore a potentially better solution for keeping everyone connected.
After our first outing, we settled on the second Sunday of every month as our regular paint-out day. Having a consistent date gave us something to plan around and helped establish a rhythm for the group. With the organizational details beginning to fall into place, it was time to get outside and put our idea into practice.
But before we could worry too much about logistics, we needed to get to the heart of why a group like this mattered in the first place.
Safety in Numbers
Safety is my biggest concern when painting outdoors.
Plein air painting can be a solitary vocation, often practiced in beautiful, albeit remote, locations. Being immersed in your craft while surrounded by nature is a beautiful problem to have. It’s part of the draw. But that solitude has its drawbacks, too.
Well-meaning people, in an effort not to disturb you, can sometimes creep up behind you to see what you’re painting and scare the bejesus out of you.
When you’re alone painting in the woods, you have to keep your head on a swivel. That constant awareness can pull you right out of the moment. You’re trying to study the light, mix the perfect color, and capture the character of a tree while simultaneously keeping tabs on who’s approaching from behind.
And let’s be honest: people can be creepy, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
This is also why I don’t publish our paint-out locations before our outings. I want our members to know where we’re gathering, of course, but I don’t want our whereabouts advertised to people outside the group ahead of time. These outings often take us to quiet trails, secluded corners, and other beautiful places where we may be spread out with our easels and supplies. Keeping our locations within the group is one small way I can be mindful of everyone’s safety and privacy.
Painting with a group of like-minded artists creates camaraderie and a sense of safety in numbers. Having others nearby has helped me feel more confident about my personal safety and more comfortable settling into the experience of painting outdoors.
In essence, that sense of community is the backbone of our organization. Yes, we want to paint more, improve our skills, and explore beautiful places. But we also want to create an environment where artists can feel comfortable getting outside, setting up their easels, and concentrating on what they came to do.
Finding Our First Paint-Out Location
Once we’d taken care of some organizational housekeeping, it was time to choose our first paint-out location. We wanted somewhere relatively close to home where we could test the waters and see how everyone felt about this new venture called the Central Connecticut Plein Air Guild.
We landed on the Nancy Conklin Trail, part of the Farmington Land Trust in Farmington, Connecticut.
Planning that first outing taught me something important: scouting locations ahead of time makes a tremendous difference.
There are so many things to consider when choosing a place to paint. What time of day offers the most beautiful light? Is morning or afternoon better for that particular landscape? What is the terrain like? Is there adequate parking? How far will everyone need to walk with their gear?
Reference photographs have also become an invaluable part of the process. After scouting a location, I share the details and photographs with the group. I like the idea of everyone having a sense of what they’re getting into before they arrive.
Knowing what a space has to offer helps an artist begin building a mental picture before ever setting up an easel. In theory, that means less time wandering around trying to figure out what to paint and more time actually painting.
At least, that’s the idea!
When I scouted the Nancy Conklin Trail, which had been suggested by one of our members, I immediately fell in love with the space. Woodland meadows opened up beneath wonderfully wonky trees, their twisting forms following the curves of the Farmington River. There was so much potential in that landscape. In the evening light, the whole place felt almost ethereal.
It was exactly the sort of place that makes you want to grab your paints and get to work.
The location and date were chosen, and we were off.
April 26
Our First Official Paint-Out
Between the artists who had joined our WhatsApp group and others who came through word of mouth, we had approximately ten to twelve people gather for our very first official paint-out.
As we greeted one another in the parking lot, it quickly became apparent that this group had some serious talent.
We had experienced plein air painters among us, but many of the artists were primarily studio painters who were trying something new. And I absolutely loved that energy.
There is something wonderful about watching people throw themselves into a new experience simply because they’re curious. No need to have everything figured out. No need to be an expert. Just show up, give it a go, and see what happens.
I’ll take that vibe all day.
We organized our plein air sessions into roughly four-hour blocks, with a little show-and-tell planned for the end of each outing. The idea was to give everyone time to paint, then gather together to share what we’d been working on.
Of course, real life has a way of interfering with even the best-laid plans. Some people need more time to paint, others work more quickly, and Sunday mornings don’t always cooperate with everyone’s schedule. As a result, we don’t always manage to gather at the end of each session.
And that’s okay. The goal is to get out there and paint. Everything else is a bonus.
Which is lucky, because my own painting that day was not a success. I still can’t get over how much my tree looks like an inky octopus. But I’m keeping it anyway, for the memories.
“Are You Part of a Group?”
One of my favorite things about painting with the guild is the attention we get when a bunch of easels are set up in one place.
People passing by often stop to look and ask some version of the same question:
“Wow, there are a lot of painters out today! Are you part of a group?”
And I get to answer, “Yes. Yes, I am.”
That answer never gets old.
Plein air painting has always appealed to me because it combines the practice of making art with the experience of being outdoors. You have to show up, observe, adapt, and work with whatever the day gives you. The light changes, the weather shifts, and sometimes the landscape refuses to cooperate with your original plan.
Doing that alongside other artists makes the experience even richer.
What began as a conversation after a gallery visit has grown into a community of people willing to show up, experiment, learn, and make time for their craft. We’re building something together, one paint-out at a time.
And if our first outing was any indication, I think we’re off to a pretty wonderful start.