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.
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.
Truck-Top Painting Platform, Anyone?
- Bob Bahr reporting, Editor PleinAir Today -
Mike Mahon likes the view he gets from on top of his vehicle. So he developed a...
Plein Air in Provence
France — where beauty resides in every village and field — is a favorite destination for me. I love traveling there and painting from life the beauty I see. How did my recent trip go? Find out here...
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.
Randall Cogburn on Galveston Island
Texas artist Randall Cogburn was lucky to remain terrestrial recently when his setup on a jetty on Galveston Island was threatened by weather rough...
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.
Painting Shanghai Disneyland
George Scribner takes us on his once-in-a-lifetime journey of painting the construction of Shanghai Disneyland.
Parting Shot: The Upside of Challenging Weather
Bob Bahr reporting, Editor PleinAir Today
Kyle Buckland senses that when the weather gets bad, it can have a positive effect on a plein air...
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?
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.
Bitter Cold, Crashing Waves & Rising Tides
Going outdoors to paint inspiring subjects sometimes involves putting up with extreme weather conditions or facing unexpected challenges. Both of those things happen to...
Italy, Abstracted
Richard Kattman tells the story about how he was painting a fairly abstract piece in Italy when someone in a passing car slammed on the brakes. What did the driver say?
Watch: Drone Films an Artist Painting Outdoors in Beautiful California
Plein air artist Donald Neff shows us in this video he created using a drone while painting along the beautiful California coast.
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.
How to Be Different…Go Underground
The Steelville Arts Council hosts a plein air event every summer, and it seems it just can't help but be unusual compared to most....
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.
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.
What He Learned at the Poles
David McEown paints in both the Arctic Circle and Antarctica each year. He’s learned some fascinating things along the way.
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.