With the increased speed of communication through digital media, there has been an increase in the number of poorly written and insensitive criticism of artwork on websites. Comments are often added below paintings that are not helpful, especially when they come across as drive-by, random shots from a passing critic.

In the Fall digital edition of PleinAir magazine, Raleigh Kinney offers a demonstration of how to maintain the natural freshness, vibrancy, and immediacy of watercolors when painting Watercolor. The distinguished member of the Plein Air Painters of America also describes his background, teaching, and recent paintings.

In the fall issue of PleinAir Magazine, we report on a group of artists who were invited to paint on the ranch near Santa Barbara, California once owned by President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan. Rancho del Cielo (ranch in the heavens), as the Reagans called it, is a 688-acre ranch in the Santa Ynez Mountains. Pat Suggs was one of the 15 artists invited to the ranch, and she describes how she used pastels to create plein air paintings of the location.

When members of the San Diego Watercolor Society (SDWS) headed for scenic painting locations on Wednesday mornings, Mike Shirk used to arrive in his wheelchairs or motorized scooters ready to paint. Despite his disabilities, Shirk made every effort to enjoy plein air painting and to be an active member of the SDWS for as long as he could.

After a 30-year career as a plein air painter, Reif Erickson wrote a book of advice for other outdoor pastel painters titled Fresh Air Painting: What to Look For & How to Paint It. In the book he offers tips about correctly developing value patterns; balancing color relationships; and dealing with edges, forms, light and mass; and adding final accents. He also shows the step-by-step progression of several landscape paintings.

The weather forecast for the paint-out planned at the Sweetgrass Mountain Community in Blowing Rock, North Carolina seemed ideal for outdoor painting, but when members of the Charlotte Plein Air Painters of North Carolina arrived at the location it started pouring rain and didn’t stop for the rest of the day. “We all learned a lot about painting a rainy day,” says Scott Boyle with a laugh.

Artists who paint desert landscapes can anticipate that Red Rocks National Park near the site of the 1st PleinAir Convention & Expo (April 12-15, 2012) will be an inspiring location. For those who aren’t certain how they will respond to the colors, shapes, textures, and atmosphere of the Nevada desert, we offer a sample of stunningly beautiful desert paintings we found on the internet.