Hundreds of Painters Line the Truckee Riverwalk

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Welcome back to your Plein Air Convention & Expo highlights! On Tuesday, our paint-out destination was the historic Truckee Riverwalk, where hundreds of painters set up along the paved, scenic route along the small river nestled in downtown Reno.

“There are some locations that are so beautiful and conditions when the weather is so perfect,” said John MacDonald, “that whether a painting succeeds or fails doesn’t really matter, it’s just a matter of just enjoying what’s there and that the play of color and the play of light and enjoy being here at this moment.”

Eric Rhoads - Plein Air Convention — Eric Rhoads and other faculty stop along the way to say hello and offer tips.

shuttle bus - Plein Air Convention PACE — Having a great time even on the tour busses that take us to the paint-outs – another great way to make a friend, even en route.

Earlier in the day, we saw presentations from 25 incredible faculty artists and presenters across five stages in the convention. Kathleen Dunphy led one of the first sessions with “Breaking Through: Overcoming Frustration to Become a Better Painter.” She began by reassuring us that we’ll rarely see all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into what becomes a beautiful painting. “It’s deceptively difficult,” she said, “because we only see the end result.”

“Nobody's going to sit there and show you all the mistakes they made and all the things they scraped off,” Kathleen Dunphy said. “You only see the end result, and it feels like people just breathe them on canvas.” — “Nobody’s going to sit there and show you all the mistakes they made and all the things they scraped off,” Kathleen Dunphy said. “You only see the end result, and it feels like people just breathe them on canvas.”

Kathleen also shared a quote from a book by Dan McCaw, which changed her trajectory and helped give her confidence to continue: “I describe the life of an artist as an endless journey, with frustration as your primary companion.”

A peek at Mark Boedges’s “Letting the Layers Do the Work,” as seen on one of the massive screens from the main stage.

Also from the main stage today, Elaine and Peter Adams of the California Art Club gave an engaging presentation on the history of plein air painting.

Kathleen Hudson led a session on “Blind Spots to Breakthroughs: How to Become Your Own Best Critic,” and Cindy Baron shared “The Art of Subtle Color Transitions.” There’s always something fascinating to attend!

Happy artists getting ready to catch the next session at PACE. — Happy artists getting ready to catch the next session at PACE

Also at Day 2 of the Plein Air Convention:

Kathie Odom led a demo about staying motivated and excited by getting off on the right foot with your drawing, including paying attention to soft edges, looseness, and transparency.

Albert Handell demonstrated a tumbling mountain stream full of movement in pastel over limited watercolor.

On the watermedia stage, Barbara Tapp explained how to overcome uncertainty by learning where to begin and how to proceed. She shared her approach to painting watercolors outdoors, and explained the criteria for choosing a subject, intent, and refinement.

There were even pop-ups throughout the event, such as when Efron Gonzalez set up for a bonus demo, where attendees could watch and chat as he painted.

Jim Wodark shared ways to compose a painting to say what you want to say and edit what isn’t necessary. He touched on using the tools of painting to compose, edges, lines, shape, color, value, and impasto.

Christine Lashley guided us through some tips to select a scene, make a good composition, and have fun painting, including how to make basic shapes become submerged rocks, sun-dappled shores, and glistening highlights.

In a surprising twist, Christine Lashley painted over an already-stunning landscape, explaining how it’s okay to switch directions when you feel inspired, as long as you’re following your heart.

We also had incredible demonstrations throughout the day from: Lyn Diefenbach, Jeff Olson, Kim Lordier, Johanne Mangi, Frank Ordaz, Kyle Ma, Ken Salaz, Laura Pollak, Debra Huse, Tim Oliver, Lisa Wang, Geoff Allen, and Amit Kapoor.

In addition to all of this, we even enjoyed an evening critique session with Rich Gallego, and a nocturne presentation and paint-along with Carl Bretzke. All the while, the expo hall and art gallery were open and busy!