More than $7,000 in prizes were awarded recently at the First Brush of Spring plein air event in New Harmony, Indiana. Sponsored by the Indiana Plein Air Painters Association, the event draws close to 200 artists to paint the colors of early spring in southwestern Indiana, and it has a component directed at children as well.

During the Plein Air Convention & Expo, two artists received special recognition for their remarkable careers and their efforts to advance the cause of representational painting. John Stobart and Mian Situ were both honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards from PleinAir magazine.

Publisher Eric Rhoads and Editor Steve Doherty presented $15,000 to the Grand Prize Winner of the 2nd Annual PleinAir Salon Competition last Thursday for the painting "Alterations."

Each year the Outdoor Painters Society holds the Plein Air Southwest Salon, a national juried competition, and the contest attracts excellent artists from across the country to Texas. In this, its seventh year, juror George Strickland chose John Pototschnik's piece "Left Behind" for Best of Show.

The Borrego Art Institute sponsors an annual plein air invitational every March, and this year the event brought together some of the top painters in the country. Find out who went home with the prizes and Honorable Mention awards.

As a way of supporting the community of plein air artists, we highlight the activities of national, regional, and local organizations. On March 2, we presented Lorraine Dawson with the PleinAir Magazine Award during the exhibition of work by members of the Plein Air Artists of Riverside, California, at the Riverside Art Museum.

The 2013 Maui Plein Air Painting Invitational Best in Show Award was presented to Ken Auster for his painting "Maui Mosaic." Find out who the other award winners were at the recent event.