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.

Mark N. Brown often paints large-scale beach scenes on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, and he teaches others to take advantage of weather and landscape of the island in outreach courses offered through the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He offers a description of his equipment and techniques for managing such large canvases on location.

One of the interesting and instructive aspects of the recent "Publisher's Invitational" Paint the Adirondacks event was seeing how several talented artists painted the exact same location. The comparison reveals differences in materials, techniques, and style. That same opportunity will be available during the 1st PleinAir Convention & Expo next April.

Summer is one of the most creative times of the year for plein air painters, especially with all the festivals, paint-outs, and quick draw competitions taking place. We encourage you to enter some of your best works in the July/August leg of the 1st Annual Plein Air Salon Competition. James Gurney will review all the entries uploaded to the competition website and he will select paintings eligible for the $20,000 in cash prizes.

There is as much to learn from talking to other painters attending an event like the "Publisher's Invitational" Paint the Adirondacks event or the upcoming 1st Annual PleinAir Convention & Expo next April in Las Vegas as there is in art classes and workshops. For example, during the Adirondack invitational Erik Koeppel and Lauren Sansaricq shared lots of valuable information about their plein air painting materials and techniques during meals with other participants and while painting out on location.

One of the many benefits to participating in plein air festivals, paint-outs, and artists’ conventions is being part of something that is bigger than the sum total of the individual members. The association with a professionally run event can connect, validate, and promote the participating artists in ways they never could on their own, especially in this age of social media like Facebook and Twitter.