Painting Demonstrations & Art Tips

From color to composition, to dealing with the elements, learn from the community of plein air painters with these tips for painting outdoors!

Need a Palette? Eat a TV Dinner

- Bob Bahr reporting, Editor PleinAir Today - Stephen Williamson has worked his way out of a jam before, using a Hungry Man frozen dinner....

Why This Works: Diffused Light, Balance of Careful Rendering and Looseness

- Jeanne Mackenzie reporting - In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and...

7 Things to Remember When Marketing Art Online

- Bob Bahr reporting, Editor PleinAir Today - Dave Geada has examined hundreds of artist websites as part of his job as master of marketing...

My Favorite Place to Paint: Ed Cahill

- Bob Bahr reporting, Editor PleinAir Today - The place Ed Cahill often paints is a reminder of what the land around Atlanta was like...

Surreal Clouds, Civil War-Era Barns, and Posterity

- Bob Bahr reporting, Editor PleinAir Today - Do you feel like you are capturing a disappearing world when you paint en plein air? Craig...

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...

Anatomy of an Award Winner: Suzie Baker

- Bob Bahr reporting, Editor PleinAir Today - People enter competitions for many reasons. Certainly, everyone enters them wanting to win. So what goes into...

Anatomy of an Award Winner: Jeremy Sams at Kinston, NC Event

- Bob Bahr reporting, Editor PleinAir Today - Jeremy Sams almost didn’t submit his First Place-winning painting to the judge at the Kinston Plein Air...

Why This Works: Immense Light in Low-Key Painting

In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and points out why they...

How an Artist Group Gets a Museum Show

- Bob Bahr reporting, Editor PleinAir Today - From June 30 to August 6, 28 members of the Montana Painters Alliance will show their work...

Why This Works: Keeping it Fun and Lyrical

- Jeanne Mackenzie reporting - In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and...

Anatomy of an Award Winner: Patrick Saunders

- Bob Bahr reporting, Editor PleinAir Today - A number of factors contributed to how relaxed and loose Patrick Saunders was when he painted an...

Why This Works: Range of Values, Variety of Texture

- 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: Modeling the Forms of Branches

- 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: Inviting the Viewer to Complete the Scene

- Jeanne Mackenzie reporting - In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and...

Why She Painted the Barn From the Road

- Bob Bahr reporting, Editor PleinAir Today - Sometimes you formulate a great composition, and sometimes circumstances force a compelling composition upon you. Just ask...

What to Take, What to Leave, When Painting Ireland

- Bob Bahr reporting, Editor PleinAir Today - Jan Norsetter is showing her paintings from last summer’s trip to Ireland and Scotland at Zazen Gallery,...

Why This Works: Strong Value Statements

- Jeanne Mackenzie reporting - In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and...

Is Spontaneity in Your Portfolio?

What are you doing April 15-19? Did you know that more than 70 instructors are joining with over 800 participants in a plein air...

Why This Works: A Touch of Rouge

- Jeanne Mackenzie reporting - In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and...