Fill in the Blank: If I Could Paint Anywhere …
Close your eyes and imagine ... if you could choose any place in the world, with no limits or consequences, where would you paint?
A 260-Mile Plein Air Relay
Is it possible to participate in two distant plein air events in the same week? This ambitious artist pushes the limits to find out. Bonus: Includes a list of tips for your next plein air event!
Painting My Way ’Cross the USA — By Bicycle! Part II
In 2019, Lewis Williams began painting his way from California to Maine - by bicycle. Here, he gives us an update on his journey, including the biggest bonus, which came unexpectedly.
Diving Into Plein Air
It’s hard for a lot of artists to “take the plunge” into full-time painting, let along taking up art in the first place. However, this story is about as extreme — and entertaining — as it gets.
Bhutan: A Painter’s Dream
Stock Schlueter shares a day-by-day adventure of traveling to the remote land of Bhutan to paint en plein air for an entire month.
Why I Paint Landscapes From the Side of Cliff
This 23-year-old painter has figured out how to take her easel up the side of cliffs and through the branches of giant redwoods to dizzying heights. Here’s why.
Video: Painting the Wilderness of the UAE
Follow Dubai-based plein air artist Matt Ryder as he heads into the deserts and mountains of Fujairah, Dubai Creek, Wadi Shawkha, Mleiha, and many other beautiful locations.
Going to Extremes: Plein Air Painting in a Rail Yard
An artist shares how he followed his muse and made his way into a rail yard to paint a burned out and abandoned train car.
Caught on Camera: Airplane Nearly Hits Plein Air Painters
There is one certain fact about painting en plein air: You should expect the unexpected. Dana Zier explains.
Plein Air Painting — “MacGyver” Style
When caught in a plein air painter’s paradise without all the “necessary” tools, Lori McNee got creative, and her horse helped. Here’s how...
Painting My Way ’Cross the USA — By Bicycle!
Meet Lewis Williams, a plein air artist with a big dream to paint his way, via bicycle, from California to Maine.
Plein Air Painting — On a Boat!
Watch a video clip of Debra Huse painting while on a boat and using a custom “rod-pochade.”
Blending Plein Air Paintings with Real Life
We recently discovered Marcelo Rocha on Instagram when he posted a surprising video from a plein air session. You have to see it to believe it, so watch here.
Plein Air Painting in the Land of the Midnight Sun
The Plein Air Painters of Alaska, bound together by their hardy Alaskan “can do” attitude, have battled grizzly bears, huge swarms of mosquitoes, inclement weather, and hours of winter darkness to pursue their passion for painting outside.
Ancestral Plein Air Journey
Read about a plein air painter’s journey to the magical — though traumatic — land of Poland.
En Train Air
This project celebrates a little-observed but crucial aspect of the American experience — the coming and going of the daily train, linking small towns to the nation at large.
Painting Shanghai Disneyland
George Scribner takes us on his once-in-a-lifetime journey of painting the construction of Shanghai Disneyland.
Adventures in Painting Nocturnes on Location
To study the art of painting nocturnes, Jake Gaedtke began venturing into the mountains at 2:00 a.m. There, he began a personal series of lessons in painting, in fears of the unknown, and in close calls with nature. Read about his apprehensions and challenges in this guest blog post, and see if it inspires you to paint outdoors at night!
Adventures in Painting Outdoors: The Granite Group
It seemed the closer we got to our destination, the worse it got, starting with cloudy skies and the sound of distant thunder, progressing to light rain, then a steady downpour punctuated with regular flashes of lightning and loud claps of thunder. Finally, within a quarter-mile or so of the campsite, it began to hail the size of gumballs...
Birthdays, Bucket Lists, and 25 Plein Air Painting Trip Tips
Milessa Murphy Stewart shares her experiences of painting in the snow for the first time. See why she describes her plein air painting trip as “exhilarating, captivating, and awe-inspiring,” and why you should start making plans to treat yourself to a similar trip.