In London’s Hyde Park, young painters sit behind rows of wooden easels. Kicking off their sneakers on the picnic rugs and pulling down their baseball caps to keep the sun out of their eyes, they studiously start making their marks on the canvas. There is a carefree atmosphere as some sip prosecco from a pop-up bar cart.

Patrice-Rose McLean, founder of Ambient Art London, has seen an uptick in young adults joining the group’s mobile art events, where they can choose to recreate a suggested image or capture their own moment in time. “I think people are increasingly craving experiences that feel simpler, more meaningful and more connected to nature,” she says.

In the era of artificial intelligence, when a finished artwork can appear on your screen at the press of a button, Generation Z and millennials are seeking a more nostalgic pursuit. They are enjoying the 19th-century pastime of painting en plein air, setting up their art easels in the great outdoors to capture a moment in time with paint rather than pixels.