Ryan S. Brown is a gifted young artist who has been offering classical training through the Center for Academic Study and Naturalist Painting (CAS) in Utah and who will be on the program at the Plein Air Convention in Monterey, California next April (www.pleinairconvention.com). He recently invited students to join him in painting on location. Here's a summary of his plein air demonstration.

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.

As mentioned in last week’s PleinAir Today e-newsletter, learning from other artists can be one of the benefits of attending an event like the "Publisher's Invitational" Paint the Adirondacks event in June or the 1st Annual PleinAir Convention & Expo in Las Vega April 12-15, 2012. One of the talented artists we talked to during the "Publisher’s Invitational" was Lori Putnam from Franklin, Tennessee.

Several of the most prestigious plein air events will take place soon, and we want to make sure have the details so you can plan to attend. The Maynard Dixon Country plein air event in Mt. Carmel, Utah is set for August 24-28; the 7th Annual Sedona Plein Air Festival will  take place from October 21-29, 2011; the 1st Annual Plein Air Convention will be held in Las Vegas from April 12-15, 2012 and the In the Footsteps of Thomas Moran Invitational will be held in Zion National Park, Utah from October 31-November, 2011.

Anticipation is building for the 1st Annual PleinAir Convention from April 12-15, 2012 at Red Rock Casino Resort in Las Vegas now that PleinAir^TM Magazine has staged a tremendously successful outdoor painting event in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. More than 80 artists from around the country gathered at Paul Smith's College on Lower Saint Regis Lake from June 21-26 to paint, share ideas and artwork, and establish lasting friendships.