Why This Works: High Horizon Line for Compelling Composition
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, Thomas Caleb Goggans’ “Shoshone Turquoise.”
Artist Allergies – and Acrylic Paint
"It has been an exhausting and convoluted journey finding art materials that I am not allergic to."
How Plein Air Groups Get Museum Shows
An exhibition at a regional museum is a marketing coup — but how does it happen?
3 Secrets to Winning Art Competitions
Time and time again, past winners of the PleinAir Salon tell us that the secret to winning is to ...
How to Turn an Imperfect Photo Into a Fantastic Painting
Shelby Keefe shares her goals and processes for the painting “Urban Patchwork.”
What is Casein Paint?
Stephen Quiller is a legendary artist known for teaching color and color theory. In this interview, he discusses painting with casein and more with Eric Rhoads.
The Challenges of Starting a Plein Air Group
In a recent newsletter, we shared advice on how to start a plein air group; but with anything that’s worth doing, challenges are to be ...
7 Tips for Painting Vibrant Color
Plein air painter and fourth-generation artist Jed Dorsey shares his tips for getting brilliant color into your next landscape painting.
An “Unethical” Art Practice Worth Trying
Catch an episode of Art School Live with Eric Rhoads, featuring Shanna Kunz, who explains her "search and destroy" method of improving a painting.
Color Harmony Assured
San Diego painter Danny Griego finds that a limited palette virtually ensures color harmony in his paintings, and helps him express mood. ...
Why This Works: Complementary Colors and Lost Edges
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 the Rocks Tell Us: Some Basics
In this series of articles, Utah artist J. Brad Holt talks about what artists are seeing as they look at the landscape. Holt studied...
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...
My Favorite Place to Paint: Dan F. Gray
- Bob Bahr reporting, Editor PleinAir Today -
Dan F. Gray paints the annual rhythms of wildlife and the seasons on his end of Vancouver...
Why This Works: Zeroing in on What’s Important
- Jeanne Mackenzie reporting -
In this series, plein air painter and instructor Jeanne Mackenzie takes a look at new paintings by contemporary artists and...
Palette Knife as Ticket to Simplification
For Jane Boyd, the key to simplifying her paintings was simply to put down the paintbrush.
A Way to Prepare for Drawing and Creativity
When it comes to painting, the act of drawing is often a departure from the classical linear concept that is understood by most people. Drawing, in the painting arena, has more to do with large compositional ideas and design elements, such as placement of objects or masses, linear movement, relative sizes of objects, weight distribution, and shapes.
Why “Student” is Not a Dirty Word
John Hughes shares why he hopes he never loses his enthusiasm for learning more about making art, because “that would surely spell disaster.”
Simplifying a Painting
“We all recognize the importance of editing, but that is just one of many ways to deal with simplification,” says Keiko Tanabe. “Other than deciding what to leave in and what to leave out, what else can we do?”
How to Travel Light When Painting Abroad
Thomas Jefferson Kitts explains how to trim down your supplies and equipment, plan a painting trip, and return home with a collection of useful plein air paintings. Bonus: Learn from his step-by-step landscape painting demonstration!