The Fifth Annual Winter Park Paint Out (WPPO) opens April 20th and closes on the 27th. Twenty-five of the finest plein air artists will be painting on the grounds of Czech-American sculptor Albin Polasek's historic home and sculpture gardens, as well as throughout the cities of Winter Park and Orlando.

What more ideal painting location could there be for the first big invitational plein air event of 2013 than the Hawaiian island of Maui? The 8th annual festival just took place (February 16-24), with 25 top artists participating. Find out who was painting along the beaches in paradise.

Krystal Allen and Vanessa Rothe, two of our valued team members, report that the 14th Annual event was a great success. Find out who won the awards in the event organized by the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association in connection with the Laguna Art Museum.

It's not unusual for Maryland artist Hiu Lai Chong to spend a total of eight hours developing one of her plein air paintings, either in one long session that extends from dusk until dawn or over several days of painting under similar lighting conditions. Read about her approach to nocturnal paintings here and in the November 2012 issue of PleinAir magazine.

Despite a downpour, more than 160 artists participated in the Quick Draw during Plein Air-Easton! (July 14-22, 2012). Sales of painting at the Art Academy Museum were up by 17 percent over last year, and so were the sales of paintings in the Local Color show. Check out the impressive sales figures!

Two of the most important summer plein air festivals just took place, and we can reveal who won the prizes in the overall competitions and quick draw events.

Hiu Lai Chong found a spot with good lighting on her easel so she could create the nocturnal painting that earned her the top award in the 4th Annual Mountain Maryland Plein Air event. Six other artists also won awards in the three-day event, as did three participants in the two-hour quick draw on Saturday, June 2.

After our report in last week's PleinAir Today e-newsletter, we received some great photographs of the award winners with their prize paintings, along with some additional photos that capture the excitement of the 19th annual event.

One of the most important plein air festivals just concluded in Carmel, CA. Find out who took the top honors among the well known artists who participated.

Jill Carver just finished selecting the top three winners and eight semi-finalists in the September/October PleinAir Salon competition www.PleinAirSalon.OnlineJuriedShows.com. Ned Mueller received the First Prize, Marc Delassio was chosen as the Second Place winner, and David Tanner was picked as the Third Place winner.