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Extreme Plein Air

Extreme Plein Air

Painting Shanghai Disneyland

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?
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.

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 - plein air painting trip

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.
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.

Extreme Painting…or Just a Totally Awesome Adventure?

During a September painting retreat in the Bugaboo Mountains in British Columbia, Canada, some dedicated plein air artists were transported via helicopter to spectacular...

On a Lake in Indiana….

- Bob Bahr reporting, Editor PleinAir Today - The Indiana Plein Air Painters Association has long held biennial paint-outs on Lake Wawasee, the largest natural...

Hiking to (and Painting) Sperry Chalet

Miles of hiking through the glaciers of Montana led Linda Tippetts to paint “Sperry Chalet,” which later suffered from the park fires of 2017. Read about her thrilling trek in this guest blog post.
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.

Painting What’s Underwater

Tim Kelly loves a challenge. He doesn’t just tackle them, he paints great paintings as a result. We thought we’d ask him how he...

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.