Salon Winner Brent Cotton on Painting Light’s Spectacular Effects
Montana artist Brent Cotton, the top winner in the August-September contest of the PleinAir Salon, paints the fantastic moments when the sun and atmosphere...
Which of Your Pieces Can Win the PleinAir Salon?
How does one choose which painting to enter into a contest? Winners of past contests in the PleinAir Salon all seem to point to...
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...
Why This Works: Color Harmony Through Secondary Triad
- 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: Format, Key, and Aerial Perspective
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, Susan Paterson’s “PEI Skies.”
Working Out the Kinks of Water-Mixable Oils
Christine Lashley gets a wide variety of responses — everything from rude negativity to nods from those in the know — when people discover that she paints with both traditional and water-mixable oils. Here are the benefits and the drawbacks as she has experienced them.
The Importance of Value in Painting
Believe it or not, value is actually more important than even this element to the design and success of a painting.
Learn to See and Interpret Light, Before Attempting to Paint It
In order to better understand the properties of light for your next landscape painting, practice this assignment from John Hughes.
Facebook Live Series: Thomas Jefferson Kitts “Sorolla: Painting the Color of Light” **FREE LESSON...
Watch: Thomas Jefferson Kitts is one of very few to master the techniques of the great artist Joaquín Sorolla, famous for his ability to paint the color of light.
Why Use Watermixable Oils?
If you're curious about how watermixable oils work and why you'd use them to begin with, you don't want to miss this!
How to Fly with Art Supplies
Artists have many questions when it comes to traveling with art supplies - we have your answers.
What Is Color Relativity?
In this Art School Live interview with Eric Rhoads, Kami Mendlik shares one of her biggest secrets: how in any medium, with any painting, you can bring your paintings alive with light.
Art Snippet: Know Your Shadow Types
Have a moment? Learn the two types of shadows you should be aware of when painting ...
Why This Works: Simple in Design, Complex in Execution
In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and points out why they...
What’s the Salon Judge Looking for in Your Painting?
The excitement is building as April approaches and one Grand Prize winner is to be announced in the PleinAir Salon, earning $15,000 and international...
Presenting … the Steering-Wheel Easel
Who hasn't painted in their vehicle, or at least thought about it? But things can get cramped in there. Amanda Williams built an easel...
Early Influences: Clyde Steadman
Many have been moved by the art of Van Gogh. Denver painter Clyde Steadman has found deep and lasting significance in one of the...
Glazing Acrylics With a Palette Knife
- Bob Bahr reporting, Editor PleinAir Today -
Canadian painter Sylvio Gagnon makes paintings with a distinctive look, and once you hear about his process,...
Why This Works: Strong, Bold, and Lively
- 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: Communicating the Quietness of a Scene
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, Colleen Parker’s “Bend in the River.”