In addition to painting beautiful landscapes that document a moment in time, plein air painters are out there making a big difference for individuals in many ways.
At the most recent Plein Air Convention & Expo (PACE) in Santa Fe, New Mexico, I had the pleasure of meeting one of our volunteers, Kelley Rustrum from Prineville, Oregon.
Aside from helping fellow painters find their way at PACE, Kelley makes watercolor cards with inspirational messages from the Bible. She anonymously donates the cards to patients at the dialysis center her husband visited before he passed away in 2020.
While at her local library, Kelley discovered PleinAir Magazine, which introduced and led her to PACE. On her flight to Santa Fe, she met a stewardess who happened to know a painter from Laguna Beach who would be at PACE as well. The stewardess was able to connect the two, and they recognized one another as they happened to enter the resort at the same time.
This is just one of hundreds of stories we hear like this, of new friendships being formed at PACE (and even our online art events) by fate. We hope to see you next time!
(Our next event is the virtual art conference Pastel Live, and next year PACE will be in Denver, Colorado. Join us at both for unique experiences!)
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