Plein Air Travels
Long stretches of highway and wide breadths of landscape have dominated our summer. This body of work represents thousands of miles traveled, a half dozen mountain ranges, and countless good times in between. The following is an account of just one such trip, from Billings, Montana, to Paradise Valley, Bozeman, and back again.
OPPORTUNITY: Painting in Africa Offers Unique Benefits
In September 2018, PleinAir Publisher Eric Rhoads will take a special group of 50 painters to South Africa for a once-in-a-lifetime plein air safari. Accomplished painter Katerina Ring, who offers a similar painting tour in Zambia, has some encouraging thoughts about why you need to take advantage of this opportunity.
How Do You ‘#PaintItForward’?
Outdoor painting is so much more than a creative outlet—it’s a way to connect with nature, form lifelong relationships, and expose passers-by to an exciting cultural phenomenon. Discover how one ascending watercolorist is using his talents to give back to the community he captures in so many beautiful ways.
Global Plein Air
You likely wouldn’t be surprised if I told you that outdoor painting is a worldwide phenomenon. We spend a lot of time detailing the amazing events, exhibitions, and festivals here at home, so why not take a brief moment to see what’s happening across the pond?
Raising the Roof
Pennsylvania artist Julie Riker had the unique opportunity to paint a barn raising and to document the event with her art. This really was history!
Artists and Kids Paint Bryce Canyon National Park
I was recently invited to be a guest artist at Bryce Canyon National Park during the annual Geology Festival. It is the first time an artist has been invited to present at the event, which is sponsored by the Park Service and the Bryce Canyon Natural History Association. It was my hope that my visit might kick-start a permanent artist-in-residence program there. I think we may have succeeded.
Decked! With Donald
Well-known painter Donald Neff recently found himself aboard an Alaskan cruise ship for the fourth time, with a slightly different set of priorities than touring and sightseeing: painting en plein air. His results?
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, the story of Emilie Lee is about as extreme — and entertaining — as it gets.
Where in the World? HERE!
If you haven’t had the chance to see some of the incredible footage from last week’s global event “Where in the world is...,” look no further because we’ve compiled several of the videos here! This only scratches the surface!
Adirondack Glory
Nearly 100 artists have gathered with Publisher Eric Rhoads this week at Paul Smith College near the Canadian border for family, friendship, and a week-long plein air painting extravaganza.
OPPORTUNITY: The Chateau Beckons
A group of artists recently returned from a weeklong journey where they took on the enviable task of capturing the Loire Valley in Trôo, France, en plein air. A delightful little photo essay of their adventure is one click away.
PleinAir Is Global
If you’ve ever wondered how diverse and far-reaching the plein air culture is, look no further than a fantastic three-day event that began today.
Touring National Parks, En Plein Air
Robert C. Rigsby, Jr. has brought new meaning to extreme plein air, as the artist spent much of 2016 trying to paint each of our nation’s 59 national parks in observance of their 100th anniversary. Did he reach his goal? His amazing story is here!
Finding History on the Outskirts of Pittsburgh
Oil painter William Pfahl set his sights on a historic town of 3,000 for a series of cityscapes. His pieces examine the nature of light, the charm of older buildings, and the pull of history.
Plein Air Adventures: Make Way for the Helicopter!
We all have our plein air painting war stories. California artist Robin Purcell seems to have more than her fair share. One of the more interesting ones involved a helicopter.
Parting Shot: Cold All Over
How cold is it in Serbia? Jethro Knight had a rare chance to paint a frozen Danube River, that’s how cold.
Itinerant Painter on the Waves
What’s it like being a painter who lives on a sailboat? Brenda Osborne assures us it is hard. And hard to quit doing.
Painting an Icy Stampede
Every year, Dan Gray paints a New Year’s Day spectacle in Parksville, on Canada’s Vancouver Island, that lasts just minutes.
Seeing the Unconventional, on Location
It took an unconventional painting done from a photograph taken at an extreme vantage point to set David Boyd, Jr. on his current path as a plein air pain
Capturing Nepali Carvings Before They Disappear
Nepal was hit hard by an earthquake in April 2015, and an artist named Gurung Dhwoj has been at the center of the relief efforts. Along the way, he has scratched out some time to paint and sketch. Recently, his drawings have more urgency to them, as he realized that many wood carvings on buildings—a key element in the local culture—were not being restored or preserved amidst the great chang