Being elected to membership in a prestigious art organization is a significant milestone in an artist’s career, and four artists have recently achieved that milestone by being invited to join the Plein-Air Painters of America. Meet the newest members.

Make sure to register NOW for the Plein Air Convention & Expo so you can watch as master artists offer demonstrations, in some cases with two masters on the stage at the same time. Here are some of the double demonstrations planned for the Monterey convention (www.pleinairconvention.com).

The Oil Painters of America and the Lambert Gray Gallery in Charleston, South Carolina, have invited 45-plus artists to paint in the historic town of Charleston on Saturday, October 20, 2012 (rain date October 21).

We received more news and photographs from the exciting Oil Painters of America exhibition in Evergreen, Colorado. Among the awards were the PleinAir and Fine Art Connoisseur magazine awards.

The Oil Painters of America has been encouraging members to organize and attend plein air paint-outs since 2005, and the group welcomes proposals from other members of the organization. The schedule of upcoming events has been announced.

Both Kim Lordier and Ned Mueller were extremely impressed with Mitch Baird’s painting of gondoliers navigating a canal in Venice, Italy and awarded it the First Prize in the November/December competition for the 1st Annual PleinAir Salon. The Arizona artist is a dedicated plein air painter who uses his field sketches in the studio to create stunning landscapes, still lifes, and figurative paintings.

More than 40,000 people are following artist Lori McNee on Twitter, and many more are reading her blogs and articles on a variety of internet sites. That’s why she has become one of the most reliable sources of information for artists. One of her recent posts describes a new site for sharing interests among internet users.

When Michael Chesley Johnson paints outdoors, he spends about as much time working in pastel as he does in oil and that often prompts students to ask how he decides which medium to use.  “I don't find that a particular subject matter is more appropriately handled in one medium or another,” he says in response. Johnson will be discussing those aspects of his extraordinary artwork and more during his presentation at the 1st Annual PleinAir Convention & Expo from April 12-15, 2012.

Plein air artists realize they will be able to spend more time painting and get better results if they buy well made panels with the surfaces that suit their personal style. That’s why they rely on RayMar panels and carrying cases (www.raymarart.com), a Bronze Sponsor and the Official Panel of the 1st Annual PleinAir Convention & Expo in Las Vegas from April 12-15, 2012.