Global Watercolor Pros Unite

Kelly Kane, Editor-in-Chief, PleinAir Magazine

From left to right: Amit Kapoor, Georgia Mansur, Richie Vios, Tim Oliver, Barbara Tapp, Geoff Allen; seated in front: Harsh Agrawal

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Recently, some of the top watercolor artists in the world gathered in Reno and Lake Tahoe to share their best plein air painting advice with hundreds of outdoor painters of all skill levels at the 2025 Plein Air Convention & Expo.

Among the painters demonstrating their processes, there was an impressive contingent from Australia, including the incomparable Joseph Zbukvic (who also held a pre-convention watercolor workshop), Lisa Wang, and Barbara Tapp. Amit Kapoor represented India, and Harsh Agrawal joined us from London. Also on hand were top U.S. artists Tim Oliver, Geoff Allen, Frank Eber, Richie Vios, and Steve Mitchell.

"Watercolor is the gentlest of mediums," Joseph Zbukvic said during his demonstration. "Every painting you do, unless it's a portrait or an interior with a shallow space, needs to have the background, middle ground, and foreground." He explained that the foreground takes us into the picture, the background can be a loose indication of a building, for example, and the middle ground is there to take your eye into the painting. "It's job is to be interesting and well done," he added. — “Watercolor is the gentlest of mediums,” Joseph Zbukvic said during his demonstration. “Every painting you do, unless it’s a portrait or an interior with a shallow space, needs to have the background, middle ground, and foreground.” He explained that the foreground takes us into the picture, the background can be a loose indication of a building, for example, and the middle ground is there to take your eye into the painting. “It’s job is to be interesting and well done,” he added.

Sharing their best tips and techniques for painting watercolors outdoors — with specific advice for capturing the unique light and scenery of Reno and Lake Tahoe, the amazing lineup of faculty kept the artists busy from early morning until late afternoon when it was time to head out to one of our inspiring paint out sites that included the Truckee Riverwalk in Downtown Reno; Virginia City, Nevada; and the Stampede Reservoir in Tahoe National Forest, California.

At the end of the week, faculty and attendees put all their techniques into practice as they painted side by side for an entire day at Sand Harbor, Lake Tahoe.

And we’re doing it all again next year — May 14-18, 2026 — in the Ozarks! Thomas Schaller, Xi Guo, and Brienne Brown will be there; will you? Learn more at PleinAirConvention.com!