Editorial

Go Figure: 5 Plein Air Paintings with People

Kelly Kane, Editor-in-Chief, PleinAir Magazine

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As social creatures, we immediately focus on figures in a painting, expecting their gestures and expressions to unlock the meaning of the picture. We can’t help but wonder who they are and what they’re doing in the space created. It hardly matters how big or small they might be, or how impressionistic or realistic their depiction. Figures engage the viewer, create energy, and tell a story.

The following are paintings created or started en plein air.

“Street Fair” by Dennis Young, 2019, oil, 11 x 14 in., Available from Mo’zArt Gallery, New Castle, DE, Plein air

“California Dreaming” by Katherine Jennings, 2019, oil, 16 x 12 in., Available from artist, Plein air

“Fading Light” by Patrick McGannon, 2022, oil, 12 x 16 in., Available from artist, Studio from plein air study

“A Little Night Music in Virginia” by Catherine Hillis, 2023, watercolor, 10 x 8 in., Available from artist, Plein air

“5 O’ Clock” by John T Eiseman, 2022, oil, 12 x 16 in., Available from artist, Plein air and studio

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Join PleinAir Magazine in the Smokies for the 11th Annual Plein Air Convention & Expo! May 20-24, 2024 we’ll have five stages with over 80 instructors, and will be painting throughout The Great Smoky Mountains, including the Biltmore Estate.