Painting pretty pictures in the great out-of-doors is not just another walk-in-the-park. In fact for the outdoor painter, plein air painting is tough work. It takes us from the controlled environment of our studio and into the unpredictable environment of Mother Nature.
Outdoor painting with a pochade box is a wonderful experience, but believe it or not, there are some hazards the artist should be aware of and prepared for when painting outside. The most effective way to prevent mishaps is to adequately prepare for the safety of your trip ahead of time and it is also important to know what to do if trouble arises.
Whether you are painting next to your car or backpacking into the wilderness, it is good to be informed of the following safety tips for outdoor painters – especially the ‘extreme outdoor painter’. But, these tips apply to any nature enthusiast who enjoys playing, hiking, biking or photography in the great outdoors. When I am in the remote back-country I always travel in numbers or have a guide with me who packs a 357 S&W magnum for protection. I don’t carry a gun, but I always carry Bear Spray on my hip in a water-bottle holder. Living and painting in the Rocky Mountains, I personally have had encounters with lightening, blizzards, black bears, moose, coyotes, snakes, a mountain lion, a wolf, and of course, a strange person or two.
Safety Tips:
TELL SOMEONE WHERE YOU ARE GOING: The buddy system is always the safest way to travel and paint, but if not, be sure and tell someone where you are going and when you will be returning.
HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF THE AREA: Before you venture off into the wilds of the countryside or mountains, be sure and acquainted yourself with the area.
FIRST AID KIT Your kit can prove invaluable if you or a member of your group suffers a cut, bee sting or allergic reaction. Pack antiseptics for cuts and scrapes, tweezers, insect repellent, bug spray, a snake bite kit, pain relievers, and sunscreen.
EMERGENCY SUPPLIES KIT: map, pocket knife, flashlight, warm clothing, hat, rain jacket, water, cell phone, high energy food, water proof matches, candle & empty tin can (for heat), water purification tablets, pepper spray or bear spray, whistle, snow shovel (for winter painting), tow rope, blanket.
PREPARE FOR WEATHER CHANGES: Watch the local weather report and be prepared!
When Thunder Roars – Go Indoors!
What to do if you are caught in a lightning, thunderstorm:
- If you are caught above the tree line when a storm approaches, descend quickly.
- Avoid isolated trees. It is better to run into a forest.
- Try and find a ditch
- Run into a forest if a shelter or car is not nearby.
- Drop metal objects like umbrellas, easels, tripods and packs with internal or external metal frames.
- Get off bicycles, motorcycles, and horses. Avoid metal fences, and utility poles and metal bleachers.
- If you are caught in an open field, seek a low spot.
- Crouch with your feet together and head low.
- Don’t sit or lie down, because these positions provide much more contact with the ground, providing a wider path for lightning to follow.
- If you are with a group and the threat of lightning is high, spread out at least 15 feet apart to minimize the chance of everybody getting hit
- Don’t return to an open area too soon. People have been struck by lightning near the end of a storm, which is still a dangerous time.
- Get off lakes or rivers and seek shelter when storms approach.
- Once on land, get at least 100 yards away from shore.
- If Someone Is Struck – People who have been hit by lightning carry no electric charge and can be safely tended to. Also, victims who appear dead can often be revived. If the person is not breathing, begin mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. But if a pulse is absent as well and you know cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), begin CPR. Stay with the victim until help arrives.
AVOID HYPOTHERMIA:
- A person may develop hypothermia when the outside temperature is around 50 degrees or is cold, damp and windy. Hypothermia occurs when your body loses heat faster than it can produce it.
- Wet clothing from perspiration, dew, humidity or rain puts you at risk in cold weather.
- Wind lowers your body temperatures as it evaporates moisture from your body and draws heat from the body.
- Hypothermia can be prevented by dressing properly and avoiding potentially dangerous weather conditions.
- High-calorie foods, including chocolate, dried fruits and raisins provide quick energy that helps produce body heat.
WATCH FOR BUGS: Hornets, bees, wasps, and yellow jackets can be a problem for painters. Avoid attracting stinging insects by wearing light-colored clothing and avoid perfumes or colognes. Should such an insect approach, do not wave wildly and swat blindly – instead use a gentle pushing or brushing motion to deter them.
Tips for ticks: The proper technique for tick removal includes the following:
- After arriving on the skin, the tick that spreads Lyme disease usually takes 24 hours before feeding begins.
- Use fine tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin surface as possible.
- Pull backwards gently but firmly, using an even, steady pressure. Do not jerk or twist. Do not squeeze, crush, or puncture the body of the tick, since its bodily fluids may contain infection-causing organisms.
- After removing the tick, wash the skin and hands thoroughly with soap and water.
- If any mouth parts of the tick remain in the skin, these should be left alone; they will be expelled on their own.
- Attempts to remove these parts may result in significant skin trauma.
Tips for Stings:
- Remove any stingers immediately!
- No need to scrape off bee stingers, just remove them.
- It’s OK to pull stingers out with your fingers.
- The longer bee stingers are allowed to remain in the body, the more severe the reaction will be.
- How fast you get the stinger out is much more important than how.
- Honey bees leave a stinger behind when they sting a victim.
- Wasps, yellow jackets, and hornets do not leave a stinger. These relatives of the honey bee can also cause an allergic reaction.
WATCH FOR SNAKES: Over 8,000 people are bitten by poisonous snakes in the United States each year.
Keep your hands and feet away from areas where you cannot see, like between rocks or in tall grass where rattlesnakes like to rest.
Tips for bites:
- Keep the bitten area still. You can immobilize the area with an improvised splint made from a board, magazines, or other stiff material tied to the limb. Don’t tie it too tight—you don’t want to reduce blood flow.
- Remove any jewelry or constricting items near the affected area in case of swelling.
- Keep the area of the area of the snake bite lower than the heart. Go to a hospital immediately.
- If bitten by a rattlesnake, DO NOT use ice to cool the bite.
- If bitten by a rattlesnake, DO NOT cut open the wound and try to suck out the venom.
- If bitten by a rattlesnake, DO NOT use a tourniquet. This will cut off blood flow and the limb may be lost.
- If the victim has to walk out, sit calmly for 20-30 minutes to let the venom localize at the site, proceed calmly to the nearest source of help and try to avoid unnecessary exertion which will stimulate circulation of the poison.
- Get the victim to definitive medical care for antivenin, which will provide the greatest relief from the toxic effects of the bite.
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH WILD ANIMALS:
Black Bears:
- Most times black bears do not want to bother humans. Some, though, are curious or even predatory.
- Do not get in between a bear and its food source.
- A sow with cubs is the most dangerous.
- Get BIG and bold.
- Stand your ground.
- Do not run!
- Wave your arms and yell loudly.
- If the bear sees you as a threat, it will charge.
- Bear spray is about 92% effective according to a recent 2008 Alaska study.
- Guns are inaccurate and can just make the bear angry. But shoot to kill if you do.
- But, if the black bear does attack you, fight back!
Grizzly Bears:
- There are more grizzly bears in the wilds now and they are more territorial than a black bear.
- Humans are NOT the preferred food for grizzly bears.
- Treat a grizzly differently than a black bear.
- If you surprise one, avoid contact and back away slowly.
- Do not run…their instinct is to chase prey.
- Climb a big tree if you can, but these bears can push down smaller trees.
- Guns are less effective on grizzlies.
- Bear spray should be your first line of defense; unfortunately the bear has to get close to you!
- If the Griz does attack, lie on your stomach and play dead. When the bear doesn’t feel threatened anymore, it will usually retreat.
- People who run, panic or fight a grizzly end up with the worse injuries from a grizzly attack.
Mountain Lions:
- Lions are quiet, sneaky and usually attack from behind.
- Get BIG and bold and loud.
- Stand tall and wave your arms.
- Throw rocks and/or pick up a big stick – use it!
- A lion’s nose is very sensitive to bear spray, so use it!
- If a mountain lion does attack you, it will go for your head or neck first.
- Fight back as hard as you can. My friend saved his daughter from a mountain lion mauling by poking out its eyes. (gross…sorry for that!)
Wolves:
- Although healthy wolves usually do not attack humans their population is on the rise and so is good to know what to do. Attacks are rare, but not unheard of…
- Defense against them is the same as the black bear and mountain lion.
- Get BIG and fight!
- Throw rocks & sticks.
- If a wolf thinks it is going to get the beaten, it will back away.
- Maintain eye contact, do not run or turn your back.
- Where there is one wolf, there are usually two…so keep a sharp eye behind you.
- If you have a gun, fire off shots in the air.
- Wolves usually attack the back of the leg to cripple its prey.
- Bear spray should work on this wild canine.
- But if not, do you best to climb a tree!
Moose:
- Moose are very territorial and dangerous animals.
- Moose are very unpredictable.
- Never get between a cow and its calf.
- Try and remain 50 feet away.
- If you see its ears back or the hair on its ‘hump’ stand up, it is angry and ready to attack.
- Never throw anything at a moose.
- Keep dogs under control. Dogs only anger the moose.
- A moose will chase after a dog.
- If it charges you, try and get behind a tree or a big boulder.
- You can try and look big, but if is attacks get down on the ground and cover your head, stay still and play dead.
- Moose kick with their front feet and back feet.
- I’ve always heard that moose are the only wild animal you should run from!
FYI: Remember, running from any predator is futile. Bear spray only lasts about 7 seconds. Be sure and check the expiration date on the can or buy a new can each year to assure potency.
I would like to add one more thought…As a woman, I usually use the buddy system when painting out in the wilderness or remote areas. I have to admit that I am more leery of a strange human being than a wild animal. When I paint alone or with another attractive woman, I make sure to stay within cell phone range and carry bear spray. I also don’t dress to impress!
Some of these ‘safety tips’ may seem a bit extreme for the average outdoor painter, but it is better to be over prepared, than under prepared. Just like the Impressionists before me, I love to venture out into the back country to investigate and capture the effects of sunlight on a favorite subject. I often chose to paint in the wild Rocky Mountains where I hope I never have to use any of the above safety tips!
Safe outdoor painting travels to you! ~Lori
You might also enjoy reading:
Yellowstone Grizzly Bear Family: Too Close for Comfort!
Winter Outdoor Painting Tips for the Plein Air Painter
A Brush With Danger: Plein Air Painting in the Back-Country
Plein Air Painting with Utah’s Finest
Painting & Playing in Provence
Water Soluble Oil Paints: Facts, Tips and Why I Use Them
A Day at the Louvre Museum
My Tour de France
Pack for Painting: Tips for the Painter by Airplane or Car
Maui’s Dynamic Art Scene
Local Color of the Caribbean
For further reading check out: Learn What to Do If You Encounter a Bear in the Wilderness, Simple Survival – About Wild Animal Attacks, How to Stay Safe from Lightning
Its about time somebody cam up with an article like this Lori! Well done, think you have covered pretty much everything! Happy painting!
Great article on “Survival Tips”! Thank you and be safe painting in the great outdoors.
Geez, are so many artists attacked by wildlife and lacking in intuition? Maybe to stay inside?
I love wildlife and am thrilled to see animals without guns when I’ve been out painting. Human hunters are the ones that terrify me….
Hahaha. The purpose of this post isn’t to scare or sound like doom and gloom. I love being out in the Rocky Mountains, however I have really had some wildlife experiences that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Over the years on my outings I have run into moose, quite a few bears, one mountain lion (right near my home!), one wolf, and lots of lightening. Actually, I am most concerned with the lightening. But, it is comforting to have bear spray with me when I am alone or in small groups… So, I compiled this information to empower others with some knowledge of ‘what if’.
Thanks for the comment Emily.
Lori 🙂
Good solid advice. I love the outdoors but, as a 5’2″ woman, definitely take precautions. Haven’t been in grizzly country but definitely black bears and mountain lions. Black bears have never bothered me although, if I see a cub I go the other way. Mountain lions give me pause (as I mentioned, I am small). I had one stalking me on my own 5 acres in a “civilized” area. Fortunately the dogs scared it off. I carry a big can of bear spray, carry bear bells, and never go out alone (too uncomfortable for me, would rather relax and enjoy). As you mentioned, I too am most wary of the humans I encounter. I stick to national parks during hunting season.
Hello Renee, a lot of people have teased me about this post! So, I am glad you found it useful. The truth is, I worry about people more than the animals most of the time. Although I did have a black bear sneak up on me this summer! Luckily I was next to my truck…and he was only curious.
Lori
Thanks for those tips Lori, sounds like good grounded advice. I live in Australia, but would love to paint in the Rockies one day. I’ve heard that moose kill more people than bears in Canada, so assuming you have similar statistics in the states.
I also assume that large animal encounters are a rare occurrence in comparison to the number of people who are out there enjoying the wilds, so I’d just follow common sense as per normal…research and prepare.
But I had never heard of bear spray, so hopefully won’t sound like a neurotic tourist if I ask for it! Hahaha.
Fortunately we don’t have such problems with ‘big’ animals here.
We also don’t have Lyme disease, but ticks are very prevalent in the Australian bush and their bites are quite annoying and can leave a very swollen or infected bite. They fall off long grass and bushes as you brush past them, so I cover my legs and arms with nontoxic repellent and wear long sleeves/trousers/hat when in tick or leach country. Shower immediately when you get home, including your hair and wash all clothing. Teatree/eucaliptus sprays are good, both on you and your clothes. Of cause, if you are in open dry country, you don’t need such precautions.
Leaches are also an annoyance in all wet area climates, from Tasmania up to the equator. Spray your boots and socks well with nontoxic repellant! Remove them with salt or spray.
For both leach and tick bite, or bee and wasp sting you can reduce the swelling a little with homeopathic creams and drops, but I find I try that and then just try to not irritate the effected area.
Snakes are the only other real hassle here. Your words of wisdom apply equally here – we use all the same precautions and treatment. Just use common sense and dress to conditions (long pants in long grass) etc and don’t stick your bare hands, feet or fingers anywhere you cannot see.
I’ve been on many long (5 to 11 day) bush walks in Tasmania, Fraser Island and NSW, and never seen a snake, but the leader of each walk always sees them…so if you are leading a group, keep a good watch on the track, wear trousers/heavy boots and possibly get a good pair of light snake gaters (from camping shops).
Also I have never been alone in the Australian bush, but it can be done with the right preparations, knowledge and precautions. I have been lost in a national park overnight with one other person. She wanted to keep walking but I insisted that we stop at dusk. The latter was the best precaution as we lit a fire, got comfy and in the morning could see from distant cliff faces that we were headed deeper into the forrest.
Our main real threat in the Australian bush has come in the last year from other humans, as the shooting lobbyists are trying to get into our national parks. Fortunately for the rest of us, most shooting accidents so far have been with the gun enthusiasts themselves – usually during duck hunting season in the wet land areas of Victoria. The next Federal election this year will see if we let them into our NPs.
As in America, Australia has some pretty spectacular scenery for the outdoor enthusiast, so get prepared and enjoy it, where ever you are.
And if you are ever down under, come pay me a visit and we can go out plein air painting together!
Hello Martyn,
I was fortunate enough to visit Australia a few autumns ago. It would have been fun to paint together. I hope to get back there again someday soon. I loved it there, although I was leery from all the rumors of creepy crawly things – lol! I enjoyed reading your comment and added tips for the outdoor painter. Would you like to share a guest post on this subject for plein air painting in the bush?
Cheers!
Lots of good advice but I really object to this:
“When I paint alone or with another attractive woman, I make sure to stay within cell phone range and carry bear spray. I also don’t dress to impress!”
How attractive you are has no bearing on if you get assaulted, sexually or otherwise. In particular, what you are wearing has no bearing on whether you will be sexually assaulted. Speaking specifically of sexual assault: grandmothers, children and everyone in between have been victims of sexual assault. It has NOTHING to do with what you are wearing or how conventionally attractive you are. This is classic victim blaming (the idea that the victim has any responsibility or bearing on whether they are assaulted).
I would appreciate this article more if it was free of inadvertent victim blaming.
Good point Clarissa, but there was no intention of victim blaming – only wisdom. That said, I stand by my comment. I have found it best to blend in. Over the years, I have had some uncomfortable situations happen to me while outdoor painting alone – attractive or not. Thanks for your thoughts.