Artist Profiles

Learn about what projects your fellow plein artists are up to, see online galleries of their landscape paintings, and more in these profiles!

artist painting on the beach

Artist Spotlight: Lon Brauer

How did you develop your unique style? Lon Brauer: Painting is a journey on a winding path. No one can seek a personal style. Rather,...
Claude Monet Peony Garden; plein air artists

Monet’s Anathema

As a plein air artist, you are part of one of the largest art movements in history. Learn about Claude Monet ...

Painting (Rain or Shine) in London

Artist Peter Brown shares what it's like to paint outdoors in London, in spite of the frequent rain and surprising comments of passersby (you'll laugh when you see what some suggest)...
Plein air painting, Erin Spencer

My Greatest Teacher

A special spotlight on someone from the plein air painting community you may not know yet: Erin Spencer on her Aha moment, and more.
Christine Lashley, "Charleston Near the Battery," oil, 8 x 16 in.

How Christine Lashley Discovered Her Style

While Christine grew up surrounded by the arts, her journey to becoming an artist wasn’t clear until later on in her life. Be inspired by her landscape paintings, and learn more in this interview.
Plein air painting of an Airstream RV

The Big *&#! Shapes

The artistic process of a plein air painter inspired by architecture and the act of "building" a painting.
artist Jennifer reifenberg out in the field, and below, image of "power of gray"

Artist Spotlight: Jennifer Riefenberg

How do you find inspiration? Jennifer Riefenberg: It is with an intimate understanding and a closer-in vantage that artist, Jennifer Riefenberg, seeks in portraying the...

Do Painting and Ice Skating Mix?

Judging from the experience of Deborah Lazar, the answer is yes -- and no.  Vermont painter Deborah Lazar recently posted a...
Artist posing with her paintings

Artist Spotlight: Cynthia Inson

How do you describe success? Cynthia Inson: I describe and realize success as an artist to be related directly to me setting goals, reaching those...

Karen Doyle Nurtures Two Careers

Professional artist and software engineering manager at the Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon: Over the past several years, Karen Doyle has worked to juggle these two seemingly opposed career paths, spending her vacation time at plein air painting events or workshops, and painting several evenings a week from life in her home studio. Recently, however, she had the opportunity to completely mix and mash the two when she helped to bring plein air painting and an art exhibit to life at Nike, Inc.
Artist paining outdoors

Painting With Your Entire Body

Ryan Jensen fills 9-foot paintings with landscapes done on location. Here are the challenges, how and why he does it, and how being a Marine has informed his path as a professional artist.
Farley Lewis, “Shrimp Trawler,” 2022, acrylic, 18 x 24 in., Available from artist, Studio

Risk Leads to Discovery

This Missouri acrylic painter strives to depict beauty with a mix of simplicity and just enough detail.
Photo of a female artist painting on a bluff by the ocean

Artist Spotlight: Mary McIntosh

After retirement in the film industry as a Set Decorator for some 42 years on the west coast, Mary was able to return to her first love of drawing and painting.

Jerry Balcom and The Visual Delights of Plein Air

Washington state plein air artist Jerry Balcom uses compositional devices, edge control, and color intensities to bring viewers into his pastel paintings. These techniques allow him to share the emotions he felt while working on location.
Lindsey Kustusch plein air painting

Indoors, Outdoors, and Back Again

A devoted studio painter, Lindsey Kustusch took the leap into plein air and discovered a way to maximize both experiences.

PACE Faculty: Watercolorist Stewart White

We'll occasionally showcase new and notable instructors at the Plein Air Convention & Expo, starting with a person who was a ceaseless advocate for...
Art History - Peter De Wint, "Waterfall in the Dingle at Badger Hall," c. 1841, watercolor on wove paper, 20 1/4 x 27 1/8 in., National Gallery of Art; Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund

A Moment in Art History: Waterfall in the Dingle at Badger Hall

Intended to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a physician, Peter De Wint instead pursued his love of art ...
PleinAir Salon art competitions - Kim Lordier pastel paintings

The Plein Air Study That Launched a Big Winner

One plein air painting inspired several exceptional studio pieces by this California pastelist, a previous winner in the PleinAir Salon.
plein air paintings by Steve Hill - OutdoorPainter.com

Plein Air Goal: To Paint 1,100 Islands

An artist shares his love (and advice) for painting the Croatian region.

My Favorite Place to Paint: Brian Buckrell

Brian Buckrell's favorite place to paint combines the primitive with the comfortable. Shouldn't the best plein air painting spots be just so?  ...