Minnesota Nice
Plein Air Grand Marais, a Minnesota event that just wrapped up its awards presentation in the picturesque area along the North Shore of Lake Superior, is one of the premier plein air opportunities in the Midwest, continually drawing the region’s best artistic talent. Who captured glory in 2017?
Stern’s Well-Deserved Honor
Irvine Museum Executive Director Jean Stern recently received a significant award that honors his lifelong work in the visual arts.
No Competition. No Show. No Drama.
Fall Color Week is all about painting! Now entering its third year, the hugely popular painting extravaganza in Acadia National Park with publisher Eric Rhoads is just around the corner. Act fast, however, because there’s a limit of 100 participants, and only a few places remain!
How Art Survives, and Thrives
Plein Air Austin is currently sponsoring a fundraiser specifically to aid the Rockport Center for the Arts, ground zero for Hurricane Harvey. The goal? To raise $10,000 through a special sale of 100 artworks for $100 each, with all proceeds benefitting the institution. Details here!
Five Women, Five Views
The New Braunfels Art League in Texas recently opened a fantastic fall show featuring the works of five talented women that’s sure to delight viewers.
Kathryn Stats Mentors
Renowned artist Kathryn Stats has launched an advanced painting mentorship program resulting from many years of requests and planning. Are you interested and eligible? Find out here.
The “Point” (and History) of Quick Draw
Recent Paint the Peninsula Quick Draw winner and acclaimed painter Ned Mueller has some fascinating thoughts about the origins of this popular practice we think you’ll enjoy.
Industry and Plein Air in America
Works by 30 of the most accomplished artists from the Plein Air Painters of America have been curated into a breathtaking exhibition that focuses on urban sprawl and industrial blight. Any fan of fine art or plein air brilliant can’t miss this!
How the Seasons Change
More than 40 works compose an upcoming exhibition of Eurasian plein air brilliance at this Western gallery. Who’s the artist and where?
How Important is Contrast in a Painting’s Overall Design?
Today’s subject deals with the principle of contrast in the formulation of an effective design. So often, painting students are given a set of rules to live by and at the same time, not told why these so called “rules” exist.
Capturing Paint the Peninsula
The 5th Annual Paint the Peninsula was considered by many who attended to have been by far the best. With subjects ranging from Hurricane Ridge, Lake Crescent, Port Townsend, and Crescent Bay to lavender fields, boats, and rusty trucks, judge Cathe Gill had some tough choices to make.
On A Mission at Mineral Point
Organizers and participating artists were on a mission in early August 2017 to create award-winning paintings — and a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere. The event was certainly fantastic, but only these artists walked away with the coveted prizes.
Painting a Piece of History
This August, while at the Adirondack Plein Air Festival, I was invited along with several local artists to paint at Eagle Island Camp on a private island in Upper Saranac Lake.
Brandywine and PWCS Converge!
Collectors, connoisseurs, and plein air enthusiasts definitely need to hear about the amazing partnership between the Brandywine River Museum of Art and the Philadelphia Water Color Society (PWCS) that resulted in this...
What’s in My Bag?
If you follow Lori Putnam at all, you probably realize she spends a fair amount of time on the road and in the air. That requires making sure she arrives with everything she needs safe and secure. Here are her top five preparedness tips.
Helping Art Survive Hurricane Harvey
PleinAir and Fine Art Connoisseur magazine have set up a temporary website for artists, galleries, museums, and auction houses to register and tell their stories about Hurricane Harvey. In addition, we’re offering them a chance to participate in a free ad spread that we hope will get spaces reopened and collectors buying.
Here Comes Jeremy Sams
Artist Jeremy Sams has had a great year, winning awards at every art competition he’s entered in 2017. In addition to being featured in PleinAir magazine, the artist has also recently mounted a selling exhibition in North Carolina.
Avoiding That ‘Cartoon Look’ in Your Paintings
The ideas presented here are reproduced from a paper I did for my painting class a few years back.
21 Years of PAAC Brilliance
Mary Williams Fine Arts in Boulder, Colorado, is the proud host of a vibrant upcoming group exhibition of plein air paintings. If you’re a fan of outdoor painting and Western vistas, you’ll be disappointed to miss this.
Adirondacks Produce Winners, Naturally
The 9th Annual Adirondack Plein Air Festival recently wrapped up with a first-time participant taking home the grand prize valued at $2,200. Who joined this artist in victory, and what did they receive? There’s only one way to find out...