IRVINE, Calif. -- Spring time is the best time of year to paint flowers, and Monica Edwards doesn’t have to go far to find inspiration. 

“We’re fortunate to have a lot of the varieties of the plants right here,” she said. 

That's because the flowers can be found all over her Orange County backyard –a field of inspiration for the Irvine Ranch Conservancy plein air painting program at the Irvine Native Seed Farm. 

“A lot of the painters from all over come out to enjoy the beautiful bloom and paint,” she said. 

Plein air painting means you leave the art studio – and paint and draw in the landscape. It dates back centuries, but was truly made into an art form by the French Impressionists. And when Edwards and others live in such a green lush area as Orange County, why not take advantage of all that’s outside the four walls of the studio?

“Everybody is doing water colors and oils and paints on all different levels,” she said. 

It's a chance for locals to take their hobby outdoors. 

“We get a little bit of the feel of Provence in Orange County,” she said with a laugh.

All without having to hop on a plane to France.