From the Latest Issue of PleinAir Magazine
Latest Articles
Does Your Plein Air Painting Experience Need a Recharge?
Mary Longe explains why you should consider a competitive plein air event, including the various types, common elements, and what not to do.
Acrylic Live Tip: How to Prevent Over-Detailing
This week, we've been learning how to paint landscapes and more from this year's esteemed Acrylic Live line-up of teachers. Here's one of our favorite tips so far, coming from Ann Larsen, who says, "I strive to create a feeling of time and place in each painting."
Happening Now – Acrylic Live!
Right now we're seeing up-close-and-personal presentations during Acrylic Live, an online art conference unlike any other.
Where Artists Are Painting This April
Check out these April 2026 plein air painting events, highlighting groups in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah. Bonus: Catch this month's deadlines so you don't miss out on upcoming opportunities.
Artists and Conservancy: Never Underestimate Your Impact
As an artist, what role can you play in the conservation and preservation of land, cultures, and buildings?
Happening This Week: 2026 Acrylic Live
Watch and interact with world-renowned artists as they demonstrate their skills at Acrylic Live, Wednesday through Friday, with an Essential Techniques Day on Tuesday. We'll see favorites such as Anne Blair Brown, Charlie Easton, and ...
Painting Tutorial: Water-Mixable Oils in Action
In this demonstration from PleinAir Magazine, we see how Beth Bathe uses water-mixable oils to create the tonal landscape painting, "Pipkas Cottage."
Now I Get It
"I always wondered why artists painted a series when there were tens of thousands of themes one could explore - until ..."
Head to the Beach: Florida’s Forgotten Coast en Plein Air
Located on a 100-mile stretch of scenic coastal towns on the Gulf in North Florida, Forgotten Coast en Plein Air is a 10-day invitational event taking place March 20-29. Invited artists include ...
Paintings That “Feel” Like Landscapes
A painting only has to answer to itself. By almost completely abstracting the landscape, Scott Gellatly distills the experience of nature to its essence, and, perhaps more important, he ...
Popsicle Painting Part 2: From the backpack to shoes, the “day pack” makes all of the difference for plein air painters, including this one, who loves to combine skiing with his brush time.
"Why do artists do it?” asks painter Russell Jewel. “Why do we bare our souls to the public and risk one person’s opinion?” His words capture the tension every artist feels when entering a juried event — the balance between vulnerability and ambition. But what makes a painting rise above the rest? What qualities make a viewer stop, linger, and fall in love? We turned to some of the art world’s most experienced judges, collectors, and curators to find out.
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by color, confused by perspective, or frustrated with your tools, you’re not alone. Inspired by John Pototschnik's teachings, let's break down five common artist frustrations and the simple changes that can transform your painting experience. ✨
Imbuing her work with the lessons of art history, this Maine oil painter takes advantage of amassed techniques and skills to stay in the moment and express her feelings about a scene.
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