Early Influences: Rusty Jones
Rusty Jones had an early influence in his artistic development. A particularly strong one.
Lead Image: “Hill Country,” by Avis Jones, 1922, oil, 10...
Puddles: Water and Light
Robert Bashford likes painting puddles. If you think about it, that’s brilliant. Why?
Lead Image: “The Muddy Bikers,” by Robert Bashford, oil, 10 x...
Why This Works: Simple Shapes, Subtle Value Changes, and Texture
In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and points out why they...
Painting Florida in All Its Variety
Florida artist Sharon Osterholt decided she would spend 2015 visiting and painting every state park in the Sunshine State. Here's what she discovered.
Lead...
Rainy Day Exercise Opens Up Many Possibilities
Josh Adam has sold many California landscape paintings, and he has a reputation in Maine for his marine paintings, but sometimes the rain suggests...
Gary Haynes on Judging the PleinAir Salon, and What It Does for Artists
There are many reasons to enter an art competition such as the PleinAir Salon—for instance, it forces you to analyze your work, it signifies...
Why This Works: Lyrical Feed, Strong Values
In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and points out why they...
Plein Air, Common Sense
In a post on the Oil Painters of America blog, Texas artist Rusty Jones discussed plein air safety, and his ideas seemed so sound,...
Why This Works: Clear Evidence of Fresh Plein Air 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...
Painting Beyond the Abstract Start
John Burton recently posted a photo of the abstract beginning for one of his paintings. It was much admired. When we asked him how...
When Plein Air Painting Is Illegal
Lately, plein air painters are discovering that working on public land can get you in trouble with the law.
Why This Works: Secondary Triads, Muted Tertiary Tones
In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and points out why they...
In Winter, Go to School
The winters are tough in Saskatchewan. DeLee Grant has a number of ways to cope with that — including visits to the local grade...
Why This Works: Lost Edges, Graduated Chroma for Depth
In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and points out why they...
Running a Workshop: Part III — Execution
This is the last in a three-part series in which Cindy Briggs and Theresa Goesling share their expertise on running painting workshops. In the...
A Sharpie Notan Underdrawing Under a Pastel Painting
Georgia pastelist Karen Margulis knew the value of doing a thumbnail sketch before starting a plein air piece. She also knew that a notan...
Painting 5”-x-7” Oils on Paper
New York painter Amy DiGi has some reasons for painting in oil on 5”-x-7” sheets of paper. And they all make sense.
Lead Image:...
Why This Works: A Variety of Warms and Cools, Minimized Details
In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and points out why they...
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...
Parting Shot: OK, Sure — 3D-Printed Plein Air Sculpture
A video posted on Vimeo caught our eye. A PhD student at the UC Berkeley School of Information created a plein air sculpture on...