Working Out the Kinks of Water-Mixable Oils
Christine Lashley gets a wide variety of responses — everything from rude negativity to nods from those in the know — when people discover that she paints with both traditional and water-mixable oils. Here are the benefits and the drawbacks as she has experienced them.
Why This Works: Variety of Greens and Colorful Shadows
- Jeanne Mackenzie reporting -
In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and...
Painting on Large Canvases en Plein Air
Painting on large canvases out of doors is not for the faint of heart, as it requires a great deal of bravery and tenacity to get started. Curt Walters explains more in this guest blog post.
Go Small & 4 Other Quick Tips
Using a plein air setup on a photography tripod, Clare Bowen gave an oil demonstration at Plein Air Live 2023 while ...
Why This Works: Color Harmony Through Secondary Triad
- Jeanne Mackenzie reporting -
In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and...
How to Begin Teaching Art Workshops
Are you ready to start teaching art workshops? Christine Lashley shares the benefits of teaching, strategies you can use, how to find students, pitfalls to avoid, and more.
My Favorite Place to Paint: Dan F. Gray
- Bob Bahr reporting, Editor PleinAir Today -
Dan F. Gray paints the annual rhythms of wildlife and the seasons on his end of Vancouver...
Running a Workshop: Part III — Execution
This is the last in a three-part series in which Cindy Briggs and Theresa Goesling share their expertise on running painting workshops. In the...
Is Spontaneity in Your Portfolio?
What are you doing April 15-19? Did you know that more than 70 instructors are joining with over 800 participants in a plein air...
Why This Works: Avoiding Hard Edges for Icon in Mist
- Jeanne Mackenzie reporting -
In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and...
Know the Judges at Your Competition
Many artists find it useful to know who is judging their work at a given competition. The PleinAir Salon has announced its judges for...
What the Rocks Tell Us: The Big Jigsaw Puzzle
In this series of articles, Utah artist J. Brad Holt talks about what artists are seeing as they look at the landscape. Holt studied...
Demos From Master Artists
We begin a series of painting demonstrations by the master artists who will be sharing their ideas and inspiration during the Plein Air Convention...
How to Think Beyond Quick Sketches
In this episode of Art School Live, Eric Rhoads welcomes artist, author, and instructor/creative coach Larry Moore. Watch as Larry takes us through a free art session on using quick sketches to expand your creative thinking - when it comes to painting the landscape and more.
Painting With Random Tubes of Paint
Have you heard of the Random Tube Challenge? See how it works, and try it yourself. You just might discover that although it's dubbed a challenge, it’s actually quite liberating.
Painting Over “Stinkers”
Living in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, requires an outdoor painter to get used to working in deep snow, strong winds, and cold temperatures. Todd LaChance...
7 Tips for Painting the City
Just as you wouldn’t explore a new city without a map, don’t start your next cityscape without a plan for where you want to go and how you intend to get there.
What’s the Salon Judge Looking for in Your Painting?
The excitement is building as April approaches and one Grand Prize winner is to be announced in the PleinAir Salon, earning $15,000 and international...
McGurl on Past Masters: William Trost Richards
In this series, noted painter Joseph McGurl discusses plein air paintings by past masters that he finds instructive or inspiring. This week: a sketch...
You Didn’t Win the PleinAir Salon Last Month?
Jim McVicker, the California painter who took the $15,000 Grand Prize last year in the PleinAir Salon, feels your pain. He entered his winning...