From the Latest Issue of PleinAir Magazine

PleinAir Magazine June/July 2026

Featured Artwork

Latest Articles

Ned Mueller teaching en plein air

Ned Mueller Receives PleinAir Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award

Ned Mueller has not just painted the world; he has enriched the lives of all who know him. His work is a monument to a life lived with integrity, passion, and an endless curiosity. Watch his PleinAir Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award presentation here, and ...
Carla Bosch demonstrates how to use brush strokes, color choices, and shape placement to create perspective and depth in landscape paintings.

How to Create Perspective and Depth in a Landscape

Learn how to add realistic perspective and depth to a landscape using Carla Bosch’s shape-first approach. Includes guidance on sketching, toned canvas, and leading the eye for an atmospheric Yosemite mountain scene.
Landscape painting by Bill Davidson

Glow, Energy, Texture: How to Paint Landscapes Step by Step Demo

How to Paint Landscapes > Learn how to quickly accomplish a glowing, magical atmosphere in paintings with this free step-by-step demo from Bill Davidson ("How to Paint Glowing Landscapes" on PaintTube.TV).
Trey Finney, "Hillside Cache," 2018, oil, 24 x 24 in., Collection the artist, Studio

Landscape Painting Demo: Building and Taking Away

The following landscape painting demonstration is by Trey Finney, whose work stresses high contrast and a high key. 
Join us for Plein Air Live, an online art conference with artists from all over the world!

It’s Official: Plein Air Live is Back!

We couldn't be more excited to have you back with us! Here's a quick look at what's in store: Live demos from world-class plein air artists, Q&A sessions so you can ask your burning questions, and ...
simplifying shapes - Acrylic landscape by Georgia Mansur

Art Snippet: On Simplifying Your Shapes and Massing

Painting from life will teach you how to see and paint light on forms and will make you learn to bring order to what is a seemingly overwhelming amount of detail and information in nature.
PleinAir Salon art competition - Daniel Keys, “Summertime,” Oil, 36x36 in.

Annual Salon Winner: “One of the Best of His Generation”

Discover who won the Grand Prize in the 15th Annual PleinAir Salon (now known as The Salon Art Prize, and one of the most prestigious art prizes in the world). The artist's winning painting, "Summertime" had already ...
Jacqui Gould painting en plein air - Pikes Peak Plein Air Painters

Plein Air Painting Throughout Pikes Peak

The season kicks off with a Pikes Peak Plein Air Painters group exhibition, and then launches into a series of outdoor art activities, classes, studio tours, and more.
Stewart White, "A Moment to Pause," 2025, oil, 12 x 16 in., private collection, plein air

Plein Air Painting an Imagined Figure?

The following is part of a series that spotlights an artist who loves painting outdoors. Today's feature is on ...
Painting composition lesson - This demo breaks down neatly into three masses, with the sky and snow forming two of them and the river and land elements combining into one abstract shape. One could think of the snow and sky as just one big mass with a dark overlay as well. (The final count is not as important as the act of seeing the shapes.)

Understanding Masses for a Strong Landscape Painting Composition

Discover a practical idea to improve your landscape painting composition and design skills. If you can do this, you stand a good chance of winding up with a strong painting that reads as a design from across the room.
Plein air painter Peggy Immel takes us through a step-by-step landscape painting tutorial on how she created "Spring Willows."
Artists Mike Hernandez and Tiffanie Mang share tips on how digital painting tools can enhance your plein air practice — making you faster, bolder, and more inventive in the field.
Olga Abramova lives and works in Moscow. She is best known for her soft, atmospheric paintings created with pastel and charcoal. Here, she shares her process for plein air painting in preparation for studio works.
As you read this, artists around the globe are still glowing from the largest gathering of plein air artists in the world: The Plein Air Convention & Expo, held in beautiful Branson, Missouri. Before we dive into these favorite quotes from the dozens of painting demonstrations that took place, know that the next one is going to be at ...

Print & Digital Edition

Digital Extended Edition