It was the National Plein Air Festival here in Taiwan. The more formal outings were held in bigger cities but from the official Facebook page I could see there were also some small get-togethers in various towns.
I joined the huge group of sketchers in Ximen Ding in Taipei. It's a district famous for old buildings as well as modern shopping streets. A place for the old and the new, just like the sketchers I saw that day. There were many professional artists doing plein-air painting demonstration as well as young children sitting on the ground drawing with crayons. 
I definitely enjoyed sketching and chatting with passersby, but I probably spent more energy examining all the interesting gear made by other sketchers. Here is a sketcher who uses a metal stand from a steaming pot to support her easel. Below is a plein air painting box made by a couple who were just not happy with what they could find on the market. The plastic board is light-weight, affordable and easy to manipulate. They attached a rod (dissembled from a camera tripod) to the bottom of the box and just pull it up when they need to use it. The custom-made box can store everything they need for painting outdoors in it, including a stool.
So who wouldn't like going on a painting/sketching festival? You get to sketch, chat and see all the creative ideas in action. Just fun, fun, fun!
Glad to hear you had so much fun! Your photos remind me of the USk joke: Q. "What is the difference between an urban sketcher and a plein air painter?" A. "About 50 pounds." ;-)
ReplyDelete- Tina
So true, Tina. Most of the time i feel a bit out of place with my tiny portable sketch kit:)
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