Painting in public
“People will judge you. You might obstruct pedestrians. What if it rains? What if you drop all your brushes?“
The gloriousness of painting from life
It’s one thing to set up a still life in the privacy of your home/studio, but it takes guts to set your easel up on a busy street.
One spring morning, I went to paint in Glastonbury, about an hour’s drive from my hometown Bristol. I parked for the day, hoiked my clobber out of the car boot, and set off down the High Street to scope for locations. This unique town was ”Normal for Glastonbury”, so no shortage of crystal shops, wizards, singing, chanting, meditating, and drumming.
To be honest, I nearly packed up my easel immediately. The monkey on my shoulder said “People will be judging your work. Shop owners will complain you’re obstructing the pavement. What if it rains? What if you drop all your brushes? It would be so much easier to go to an empty field and paint Glastonbury Tor“. To add pressure, I was wearing a branded T shirt to advertise the gallery that was representing me, Heart Of The Tribe.
My extrovert son Leon always tells me people are much nicer than most of us assume. With his words ringing in my ears, I took a deep breath, found a spot outside the beautiful turquoise Crystal Shop where cars wouldn’t park in front of me, out of the way of pedestrians, with my canvas in shade. I put John Dalton’s podcast on my headphones, got caught up in the view, and for the next 3 hours just painted. Lots of lovely people offered compliments.
Two gentlemen of a certain age asked whether I was using oils or acrylics, and seemed to approve on the basis it wasn’t newfangled plastic paint. A couple asked how much I was planning to sell it for (I referred them to the Heart Of The Tribe - it sold there once it was dry), and many people just said how nice it was to be doing it. Children pulled their parents over to see, some came back later and checked my progress.
Apart from a dog weeing dangerously near my bag, I couldn’t fault the experience. Happy with my painting, I went to the supermarket and bought a delicious car-picnic of Kimchi, Kombucha, Goat’s cheese, lentil crisps, and seaweed. Restored, I set off back to Bristol.
Handbrake turn
Looking in my rear view mirror, I caught a beautiful glimpse of the Tor nestling on green land, in the late afternoon sun. One rather eccentric manoeuvre later, I pulled into a side road and parked by a gate. I trampled down enough verge nettles to put up my easel without blocking the lane, and set to it.
With the company of cows, birds, and the occasional cyclist, I enjoyed this second painting just as much. Several people paused and wound down their car windows for a chat on the way past.
The paintings turned out OK, which is always a bonus. I think you can tell they were painted from life, they preserve every dimension of the day, recorded as and when I experienced it (except the flies, which I fished out). Regardless of technique, painting from observation produces an image imbued with life, depth, and a certain quirky ‘realness’.
But the lasting impression, as I finally set off for home, was of the friendliness of people... when painting in public, you are an ambassador for creativity. It is an chance to reach those who don’t go into galleries. And a chance to get collectors on your mailing list.
So if they get out their phones and start proudly showing you their wife’s paintings, as she mumbles self consciously alongside, take a minute. And if they have children, ask them what they like painting and show them your stuff.
What about you - would you paint in public? Maybe you already do… so, how do you find it?!
I will be showing a selection of work painted outside in the South West at North Street Gallery from February 5th - April 30th 2026. Open Thursday - Sunday, there are lots of good cafes and independent shops locally. Let me know if you’re planning a visit, I’ll be on the stewarding rota and would love to welcome you in person x
You are such a versatile artist Gail, and so good at explaining, and sharing your experiences. Thank you 😘
This is a really nice article. It was very enjoyable to read and the photos and images are lovely.
MAC.