– Bob Bahr reporting, Editor PleinAir Today –
Members of the Ohio Plein Air Society and their guests recently gathered at a presidential library to celebrate the institution’s centennial. What’s that mean, and how’d it go?
Lead Image: Debra Joyce Dawson (left) talking to Christie M. Meininger, executive director of the Hayes Center.
OPAS, which is one of the more active plein air groups in the country, arranged for a paint-out and sale on the grounds of the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Center in Fremont, Ohio. The artists painted on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning, then showed their paintings under a tent next to the Presidential Library, ready for sales. The group agreed to give 20 percent of sales to the historic site. Hayes’ house and gardens were also part of the grounds on which the painters worked. PleinAir magazine editor Steve Doherty was part of the group.
OPAS member Doreen St. John says she was pleased with how the casual paint-out went. “It was such an honor for OPAS to be invited to paint on the beautiful grounds of the Hayes Center, and even more special that Steve Doherty was there to paint with us,” she says. “For me, one of the best things about being part of a plein air painting group like OPAS is the relationships that are forged, as well as seeing new places in our beautiful state. It was so good to see old friends, and nice to get to know Steve. There is a bond that forms among those who paint outdoors, probably because we all struggle with the elements and, at various times, our own limitations. Although sales were negligible, I felt richer because of the camaraderie and just pure enjoyment in painting outdoors.”
