by Carla Caruso

Your Adelaide Park Lands are the perfect place to paint en plein air – or outdoors.

France-born parkgoer Charlotte Pelletier, 26, is behind the unique venture, Open Air Painting, which launched last September.

Charlotte guides small groups, of all ages and levels, in painting and drawing “in the landscape”. Locations so far have included Adelaide Botanic Garden (Park 11) and Bonython Park / Tulya Wardli (Park 27).

An upcoming session will be held at the South Terrace rose gardens (Park 21) on January 28.

The idea for the venture was sparked after Charlotte worked on an oil painting for four months, in her spare time, as a wedding gift for a friend.

“When I finished it and gave it away, I felt like there was a bit of a void in my time,” Charlotte says.

“I work full-time as a project coordinator for a construction company during the week. So, I needed that creative outlet. But I didn’t want to go back in the studio and be alone and paint.

“I thought, ‘Why not do the French Impressionism [thing], which is being outside and painting what you see around you?’”

After trying it out with friends, she’s turned the idea into a side hustle, guiding others in such art. Each session costs $30 per person – or it’s free if you bring your own materials.

Charlotte says greats such as Claude Monet famously painted outdoors. “Obviously, he didn’t take a photo, then go back home and paint it. Artists like him were there, painting a scene, and having to come back and do it again in the spot. So, I’m trying to go back in time and have that experience.

“You’re not just looking at an image and replicating it [like at a ‘paint and sip’ studio]. You have to look for what catches your eye [in real life] and see what you think is worth painting and capturing. It’s so interesting to see what everyone comes up with.”

Charlotte now has sessions coming up at wineries and Carrick Hill too, but what she loves about the Park Lands are the “different textures” to paint. This includes at the rose gardens in Veale Park / Walyu Yarta (Park 21).

“I went there the other day just to scout the location, and I thought, ‘These are meticulous gardens, so well-kept, with the fountain and the beautiful lake.’ It’s just stunning and it’s here for everyone to enjoy.

“So, I want to promote and encourage people to come down to these spaces that are free and well-kept. It’s an appreciation of these spaces really.”

Charlotte grew up in a tiny village near Bordeaux in France before moving to Adelaide at age 14. Her dad is from France, and her mum, who assists her during the painting sessions, is from Australia.

“I think that’s why I’m attracted to the spaces [locally] that are a little bit European. I’m trying to give off that romanticised atmosphere. It’s quite a romantic afternoon, painting along the banks of the river and in the parks. I do miss France and I think I try to bring that into this kind of experience.”

During the sessions, Charlotte says: “I don’t paint with the others. I call myself a ‘creative guide’ and I like to help people if they’re stuck. I don’t teach how to paint; I’m not a teacher. But I love to paint, and I love to give advice. I’ll help with some painting techniques and colour blending and brushstrokes and composition.”

In between art and her office job, Charlotte also keeps busy making small-batch, ‘fennel-forward’ chilli oil, dubbed Drizzle.