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?
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.
Where in the World Is Plein Air?
Today, no matter where you are, you can watch dozens of outdoor painters bring their works to fruition.
One Spin…Trip of a Lifetime
"What a full-on adrenaline rush." Mike Bonar on winning the New Zealand painting trip on the PACE prize wheel, and his reflections on this trip of a lifetime.
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.
Why Paint From the Summit?
- Bob Bahr reporting, Editor PleinAir Today -
Nikki Frumkin isn’t doing it for sales. But for reasons of her own, the Washington artist climbs...
Expert Cold-Weather Advice From Wisconsin
Wendie Thompson knows plein air painting in freezing temperatures -- she's the founder of the Wisconsin Plein Air Painters Association. She says that when...
Birthday Celebration, Plein Air Style
People love going to Rich Gallego’s birthday parties, because it means painting at a beautiful spot. The California artist plans an all-day paint-out every...
Finding the Perfect View in Big Sur
- Bob Bahr reporting, Editor PleinAir Today -
Laurel Sherrie saw a great view in a newspaper — an eminently paintable view — and she...
Urban Sketching: Touring by Trolley in San Diego
Artists devoted to depicting the human figure may be used to timed poses in the studio classroom, but plein air painters usually have only...
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.
Schuerr’s Final Report: “It Was Crazy Hard Work”
A few weeks ago, we talked with Montana artist Aaron Schuerr about his preparations for a solo painting and backpacking trip from rim to...
Plein Air Surprises in Canada
Those who venture beyond the studio to paint outdoors know that surprises are often around the corner. For this group of adventurous artists, nature did not disappoint.
Snow in SoCal
Forget the old question about whether it rains in Southern California. Does it snow? Terry d. Chacon is here to tell you “yes,” and...
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.
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.
Plein Air Artists in Russia Organize a Show
- Bob Bahr reporting, Editor PleinAir Today -
Interest in Russian plein air painting is on the rise in America, but even in Russia, it’s...
New Year’s Day Paint-Out in Nevada
Two members of the Reno-Tahoe Plein Air Painters welcomed the new year by painting at the wetlands at the base of Slide Mountain. Take...
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.