This picture shows my setup and how much the water had come in when I first noticed it.

Reader Spotlight: A Silent Tide

We love to hear from the Plein Air Today community! The following is part of a series that spotlights an artist who loves painting outdoors. Today's feature is on Hema Gupta.
Watercolor studies - Stan Miller, "Molto Bene," watercolor, 10 x 12 in.  

An Artist’s Journey to Venice: 4 Plein Air Watercolor Studies

Watercolor artist Stan Miller takes us to Venice, Italy, to share four watercolor sketches he painted on location. Bonus: Includes four of his art tips for beginners.
Plein air artist Don Bishop, painting with acrylics on location

Room to Explore: Why I Paint With Acrylics

Plus: Six types of acrylic mediums that can lengthen drying time, make it thicker, or change the texture.
The Group of Seven Artists - Canada

The Group of Seven: Canadian Artists Who Sparked a Movement

Meet the artists who changed the way Canadians saw their country and sparked a national art movement.
Clare Bowen, featured in the August/September 2024 issue of PleinAir Magazine

Paint What You Know

No matter what’s on your agenda this summer, I hope you’ll spend some time exploring your own backyard for new subject matter or new perspectives on familiar scenes.
Barbara Tapp with the gentleman who bought her plein air watercolor painting on site

That’s My House You’re Painting!

Plein Painting and Its Unexpected Outcomes By Barbara Tapp I was plein air painting in a neighborhood when a man drove up, leaned out of the...
Plein air painting at night

How I Painted a Twilight Scene of the Smithsonian Castle

What started as a night painting in my mind — and on my panel — became a twilight painting once the lights didn’t go on.
Art studio ideas - Hughes Easel and rolling toolbox from Harbour Freight Tools

How I Created My Dream Art Studio

Don’t think you can manage to build your own art studio? Be inspired by Michele Byrne, who shares how she planned it, who she worked with, and how she saved money to make a dream come true.
1. Carl Dalio, “Factoria Plaza Viejo - Havana, Cuba,” 2016, oil, 24 x 18 in., Available from artist, Plein air

Engaging with Architecture

From views of dilapidated rural outbuildings and charming beachside cottages to shiny examples of modern design, the seven paintings featured here glorify the beauty in the built environment.
Sketches from Eric Rhoads's "Art Marketing Bootcamp"

An Urban Sketcher’s Take on Plein Air Painting

Despite the shared practice of capturing the world through on-site observation, I had never tried plein air painting, so I ventured out and ...
Sharon Griffes Tarr, painting on location and staying cool in the heat

Keep Your Cool: 5 Ways Artists Can Stay Safe in Summer Heat

One of the dangers of outdoor summer painting this year is the hot and humid weather. Following is a list of things to help you and your painting pals to stay safe in the heat.
PleinAir Magazine AugSept24 cover

What’s Inside PleinAir Magazine, August/September ’24

Hot off the press > Expert insight and advice from today's plein air masters; News on art competitions; Interesting historical perspectives on landscape art; and more!
Watercolor by Thomas W. Schaller

Watercolor Wisdom from Thomas W. Schaller

His approach entails painting the shades and the shadows that give white the identity of light — the luminosity you want to have.
Third Place Winner of the 13th Annual PleinAir Salon Art Competition

PleinAir Salon Spotlight: “Utility Truck”

His advice to others on entering the PleinAir Salon: "Don't be afraid to do it. You never know what can happen."
A child painting en plein air

Sharing Plein Air With the Next Gen of Painters

We love to hear from the Plein Air Today community! The following is part of a series that spotlights an artist who loves painting outdoors. Today's feature is on Jason Saunders.

The Saga of the 1881 Pony Express Cabin

For almost 50 years, watercolor artist Buffalo Kaplinski has aspired to paint a log cabin near Franktown, Colorado that was surrounded by “other shacks and a lot of junk, including those old-time gasoline pumps, old trucks, farm implements, and redneck stuff.” Then one day he noticed demolition equipment joined the landscape.
1. Krentz Johnson, “Knock on Wood,” 2023, casein, 16 x 20 in., Available from artist, Plein air painting

A Plein Air Painting RoundUp: 9 Riveting Renditions of Boats

A Plein Air Painting RoundUp > Whether moored or on the move, boats represent opportunities for adventure, enterprise, and, for the fortunate, a seafood supper. Here nine artists welcome us aboard to share in their views of life along the shore and on the water.
Jill Wagner, “Flying the Flag, Too”

How 9 Plein Air Artists Honor the Fourth of July

Nine painters share their experiences, art inspiration, and patriotic landscapes in this unifying roundup.
plein air painting churches

On Painting the Churches of Tasmania

An Australian plein air painting adventure: Why two artists visited the churches in Southern Tasmania, and what they learned.
The cover of our June/July 2024 issue of PleinAir Magazine

What’s Inside PleinAir Magazine, June/July ’24

Hot off the press > Expert insight and advice from today's plein air masters; News on art competitions; Interesting historical perspectives on landscape art; and more!