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Artist Profiles

Learn about what projects your fellow plein artists are up to, see online galleries of their landscape paintings, and more in these profiles!

Plein air artist Hai-Ou Hou painting outside in China next to a river.

Artist Spotlight: Hai-Ou Hou

Hai-Ou Hou’s favorite studio is the outdoors, and she finds that nothing beats the beauty and wonder of nature.
Painting landscapes en plein air

Vantage Points: Part 1

There is something elemental and powerful about responding directly to nature. Ken Knight shares his approach to plein air painting.

Artist Spotlight: Barb Walker

Barb Walker: Confession. I don’t always draw in preparation for a painting. Actually, almost never unless the light is so fleeting that a quick...
pastel painting - Jill Stefani Wagner, “Promenade,” Pastel on UArt pastel board, 12" x 9", Private collection

Pastel Painting: On Sketches, Composition, and Visual Brainstorming

The following is part of a series that features the best artists who are teaching others pastel painting techniques.
Plein air painting, Erin Spencer

My Greatest Teacher

A special spotlight on someone from the plein air painting community you may not know yet: Erin Spencer on her Aha moment, and more.

My Favorite Place to Paint: Jennifer Fairbanks

Kentucky artist Jennifer Fairbanks prefers that those observing her plein air painting have hooves and paws, and she gets her way when she paints...
“Side Step,” by David Boyd, Jr., 2015, oil on linen, 12 x 24 in.

Seeing the Unconventional, on Location

It took an unconventional painting done from a photograph taken at an extreme vantage point to set David Boyd, Jr. on his current path as a plein air painter.

Anatomy of an Award Winner: Mary Monk

No sun? No problem for Mary Monk. Overcast days at the Shadows-on-the-Teche Plein Air Competition did not deter the Louisiana oil painter.
Plein air watercolor painting

Plein Air Spotlight: Joseph Zbukvic

Please help us welcome watercolor artist Joseph Zbukvic as a newly announced faculty member for PACE. See a gallery of his work in this spotlight.
Plein air history - Frederic Edwin Church

Plein Air Heritage: Frederic Edwin Church (1826-1900)

As a plein air painter, you are part of one of the largest art movements in history. Learn about artist Frederic Edwin Church here.
Acrylic painting of popsicle stand in a park

Artist Spotlight: Anne Blair Brown

For this artist there is no award, title, or amount of money that can compare to seeing lightbulbs go off in her students’ heads or the feeling of painting something that delights or moves someone.
Artist Manon Sander with her oil painting at the Sedona Plein Air Festival

Artist Spotlight: Manon Sander

What is the best thing about being an artist? Manon Sander: Of course, there are the obvious perks, like having an outdoor office or occasionally...
Watercolor - "Dead Horse Point, Canyonlands, Utah" by Cindy Briggs

How I Create Flowing, Organic Lines with Watercolor

Inspiration from Cindy Briggs, who is on the Watercolor Live faculty this month.
Kathleen posing with her paintings in her studio

Artist Spotlight: Kathleen Kalinowski

How do I find inspiration? Kathleen Kalinowski: As a contemporary impressionist painter, the inspiration and concepts which inform my work stem from memory and 30...
Plein air painting - Tom Colcord

How Hip Hop Inspires My Plein Air Painting

San Francisco-based plein air painter Tom Colcord approaches his work with a unique mindset. When asked what he means by “the flow,” he references ...

Spotlight on PACE Faculty: John P. Lasater IV

What's the big deal about painting a nocturne? You just have to figure out how to get some light, right? John P. Lasater IV...

Artist as Collector: Monika Johnson, Finding Inspiration

When Monika Johnson sees someone doing what she tries to do, she finds it inspirational — and she buys the piece. Who’s in her collection?

Find Important Information in the Shadows

“If people start looking for color in the shadow, they will see it,” says Mark Fehlman, one of the featured artists at the Plein Air Convention & Expo. “If they stop and look, compare things, and consider what they want to emphasize most, they will get a lot more out of their observations.” How does Fehlman actually accomplish that?
Painting en plein air - OutdoorPainter.com

Love of Plein Air, and Citroën Cars

Susan Kendall is both an outdoor painter and a car enthusiast. See how her passions crossed paths, resulting in 8 x 20-foot backdrops for a classic car show.
Painting landscapes en plein air

Why I Start in the Field

How do you capture that combination of light, aroma, temperature, and freshness of an early morning walk? Mark Fehlman shares his insights on painting landscapes in this guest blog post.