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Extreme Plein Air

Extreme Plein Air

Lewis's setup while painting the International Ice Climbing Festival

Ice Climbing for Artists

Plein air painter Lewis Williams recently visited the International Ice Climbing Festival in Ouray, Colorado - not to climb ice, but to ...
painting outdoors with children

Plein Air in Babywear!

We've seen some pretty incredible ways to paint outdoors, but this Plein Air Today reader showed us how she takes it to another level. Bonus: Includes her advice for painting when you have a baby on board!
The brown bear that Bill Davidson encountered while plein air painting in the Tetons

How One Artist Survived a Bear Encounter

What should you do if you see a bear while plein air painting in the wilderness? See what Bill Davidson did to survive his encounter.
Ted Heublein painting underwater

Plein Air, Sous Marine

Theodore Heublein has been diving for 50 years, and for the past 20, has been painting underwater at the Point Lobos State Natural Reserve....
Paul Kratter sketches the unique shapes of the trees at the Mala Mala Game Reserve.

Into Africa: Painting with Gouache en Plein Air

Follow along as Paul Kratter shares his plein air adventures of painting with gouache on safari.

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.
HipCamping in South Dakota, through the app HipCamp

Plein Air Painting On the Road with a VW Vanagon, My Wife, and My...

In the summer of 2021, we took to the road for a month and a half, leaving New Haven, CT, to make our way to the Pacific Northwest.
The first wash of the plein air painting, on Sky Pond

Extreme Plein Air: Painting an Active Volcano

Blobs of fiery lava the size of school buses were belched into the air — our faces were warmed by the heat and the sonic boom of the blast was uncomfortably loud...

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.
Paint the Way 'Cross the USA - by Bike

Biking to PACE?!

In conjunction with PACE 2022 (the Plein Air Convention & Expo), and the excitement of the convention returning as an IN PERSON event, I...
Watercolor sketch - Jemaa el-Fnaa Square, Marrakesh

Plein Air Watercolor – From Marrakech to the Mountains

Tag along with this popular watercolor instructor as she guides you through Africa’s largest urban market, an ancient mountaintop fortress, and the sandy beaches of a popular beach resort, and introduces you to the people and cultural traditions of Morocco.
International plein air painting

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.
Plein air painting in bad weather

Plein Air Painting … in a Pod

You may know Sharon Bamber from her incredible 1,000-mile expedition of walking and painting the Way of Saint James in Spain. Here's her brilliant solution to painting through the snow and rain.
Extreme plein air painting - Amanda Morettini - OutdoorPainter.com

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.

Chasing Fragile Dreams

Come walk with me as I remember one of my dreams and how I chased it. It is a dream that led me, along with my painting gear, all the way to the southern tip of South America.
Stock Schlueter and Paul Rickard, "on top of the world"

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.
plein air painting vacation - New Zealand with Eric Rhoads

An Exotic Location for Plein Air

Join us for a painting vacation this September > This is a very exclusive trip for those who expect the best possible experiences.
Bicycle and plein air painting

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.
Painting vacations

My Best Day of Painting Ever

Was I going to work on one good painting in a short amount of time or was I going to do multiple paintings to see what I could accomplish?