Why This Works: A Story of Scale, and Rays Stealing the Show
- Jeanne Mackenzie reporting -
In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and...
Why This Works: Monochromatic Look Evokes Atmosphere
- Jeanne Mackenzie reporting -
In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and...
Why This Works: Not Every Branch, Twig, and Leaf
In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and points out why they succeed as painted images. This week, Kathryn A. McMahon’s “Beaverdams Pond.”
Painting Landscapes: Paint Exactly What You See
In recent years, top plein air painters have been using painting procedures associated with academic studio painting. Painters like Marc Dalessio, Joseph McGurl, and Matt Chinian all frame their landscape subjects inside a rigid viewer, then paint exactly what they see inside that rectangle. Find out why.
5 Ways to Get Your Art Published
If you want to get your art published and seen around the world, do any (or all) of these suggestions from your team at PleinAir Magazine!
Bringing Sanity to Direct Painting
How do you become an accomplished landscape painter? Keep reading to discover the most important habits you should practice.
Free Viewing: Joseph McGurl on Painting Landscapes
Today, we're traveling into the minds of great artists to discover how they rose to a level of unsurpassed mastery of painting landscapes in “Painting Light and Atmosphere” with Joseph McGurl.
What Is Color Temperature?
Learn how warming up or cooling down areas of your painting can provide unity and balance in your work. Bonus: Includes a step-by-step demo!
Q&A: How to Use Water-Mixable Oils
In this excerpt from Plein Air Magazine, Lori McNee ("Luminous Landscape Painting" on PaintTube.TV) answers four reader questions about how to use water-mixable oils.
Watch: Painting Fall Foliage with a Palette Knife
In this Art School Live interview with Eric Rhoads, Melanie paints a fall landscape using only a palette knife.
Free Lesson: Negative Painting with Watercolor
Negative Painting means that you paint around the areas you want to preserve; Think of it like carving stone, chipping away until only the most precious elements remain.
Large-Scale Painting Techniques: 3 Problems and How I Solved Them
Explore the art of going big with this insightful case study-driven advice for large-scale painting techniques from plein air painter Christine Lashley.
Demos From Master Artists: Becky Joy
We asked Arizona artist Becky Joy to talk about her luscious, emotionally charged paintings and the way she uses brushes and palette knives to...
Painting on Shellacked Paper
A case of mistaken identity has Richard Gallego painting on watercolor paper that's been coated with shellac. He likes the results. ...
Well-Traveled Artist Offers Do’s and Don’ts for Events
Michael Chesley Johnson has been around, and he's seen a lot. And he has advice for artists participating in plein air events and for...
Parting Shot: Double-Duty Easel
Paint all day, use your easel as a cocktail table at Happy Hour.
Lead Image: Marc Poole found another use for his trusty Strada...
The Skinny on iPad Plein Air Studies
Paul Zegers used his iPad to sketch scenes while on a vacation. Here’s what he had to say about the iPad as a tool...
Why This Works: Less is More … and Elegant
- Jeanne Mackenzie reporting -
In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and...
Why This Works: Loose Brushwork on Figure Suggests Movement
- Jeanne Mackenzie reporting -
In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and...
Why This Works: Large Bold Shapes Suggest Abstraction
In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and points out why they succeed as painted images. This week, she discusses Don Bishop’s “September Flower Farm.”