Running a Workshop: Part II — Marketing
This is the second in a three-part series in which Cindy Briggs and Theresa Goesling share their expertise on running painting workshops overseas, or...
Painting Light on Busy Animals
Many artists were surprised to find that Mary Pettis’s award-winning painting of goats was done en plein air. It’s natural to think the setting...
Why This Works: Breaking up the Horizontals
In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and points out why they...
Care Needed When Toning Canvas With Acrylic
A video that a San Francisco artist posted on YouTube about the alleged dangers of toning a canvas with too thin of a mixture...
Painting Into the Sun, With Atmosphere
Edwin C. Bertolet has painted this area countless times. How did he freshen up a familiar scene at the baylands in the San Francisco...
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...
You Didn’t Win the PleinAir Salon Last Month?
Jim McVicker, the California painter who took the $15,000 Grand Prize last year in the PleinAir Salon, feels your pain. He entered his winning...
Why This Works: Neutral Tones Aid Greens, Reds Offer Complement
In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and points out why they...
Parting Shot: Painting Into the Sun, Part II
Brian Keeler knew what he wanted to paint when he set out with his easel one day this summer in Acadia National Park in...
What It Means to Win at the National Exhibition of Women Artists of the...
Kathryn McMahon is proud of her plein air award won at the Women Artists of the West National Exhibition. It would be a mistake...
What a Watercolorist Who Wants to Paint Underwater Does
Bonnie Richardson knew she couldn’t paint with watercolors underwater when she was snorkeling or scuba diving, but she dearly wanted to. Oils were not...
Why This Works: Correct Values in Clouds
In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and points out why they...
Parting Shot: Paint Like the Wind!
New York City painter Thor Wickstrom was recently painting autumn in New York, and thinking about the wind, which was rearranging his view by...
Running a Workshop: Part I — Planning and Preparation
This is the first in a three-part series in which Cindy Briggs and Theresa Goesling share their expertise on running painting workshops overseas —...
Why This Works: Secondary Triads, Saturated Color, and Harmony
In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and points out why they...
Why Fall Is a Good Time to Get Looser
Arkansas painter Dave Butler has been painting looser lately, and it’s no coincidence that this is happening as the leaves are turning vibrant colors....
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...
Another Approach to Fall Color
Yes, the foliage at this time of year is beautiful. Jeremy Sams shows that there is more than one way to depict it.
Lead Image:...
Gouache on Black Paper
Jan Poynter is not afraid of the dark, and she’s not afraid of phthalos. Here’s what that means for her artwork.
Lead Image: Jan...
Schuerr’s Final Report: “It Was Crazy Hard Work”
A few weeks ago, we talked with Montana artist Aaron Schuerr about his preparations for a solo painting and backpacking trip from rim to...