Sky paintings capture the vast beauty and diversity of the ever-changing heavens, showcasing colors and moods that range from the soft pastels of dawn to the fiery intensity of sunset. Artists often portray skies filled with glowing clouds, deep blues, or stormy grays, each capturing a unique atmosphere and emotional tone. The sky’s colors and shapes shift in infinite ways, creating scenes that can be tranquil, dramatic, or inspiring. Whether focusing on gentle sunrises, luminous sunsets, or brooding, cloudy expanses, sky paintings celebrate nature’s spectacular, fleeting displays.
We hope you enjoy these renditions of the sky and find inspiration for this moment, and for the next time you approach this timeless subject. While some of the following sky paintings were finished in the studio, each of them began en plein air.
17 Gorgeous Sky Paintings

Jill Stefani Wagner
2022, pastel, 9 x 12 in.
Private collection
Plein air

Farley Lewis
2021, acrylic, 12 x 16 in.
Available from Gallery Augusta, Augusta, MO
Plein air

Carole Belliveau
2023, oil, 12 x 12 in.
Available from artist
Plein air

Susan Nicholas Gephart
2022, oil, 9 x 6 in.
Available from artist
Plein air

Mark White
2021, oil, 24 x 30 in.
Available from artist
Plein air and studio

Katherine LaPlace Meade
2021, oil, 10 x 20 in.
Private collection
Plein air and studio

Sue Barrasi
2021, oil, 16 x 16 in.
Available from Gruber Gallery, New Paltz, NY
Plein air

Jim Rehak
2020, oil, 18 x 24 in.
Private collection
Plein air

Karen Ann Hitt
2023, gouache, 12 x 9 in.
Available from artist
Plein air

Debra Huse
2022, oil, 24 x 30 in.
Available from Huse Skelly Gallery
Plein air (over five days)

Brad Teare
2023, oil, 60 x 48 in.
Available from artist
Studio from a plein air study

Kathryn Weisberg
2018, oil, 16 x 20 in.
Private collection
Plein air

Sharon Weaver
2022, oil, 14 x 11 in.
Available from CAC Gallery at the Old Mill, San Marino, CA
Plein air and studio

Linda Richichi
2022, oil, 48 x 24 in.
Private collection
Studio from a plein air study

Susan Lynn
2023, oil, 12 x 24 in.
Available from artist
Studio from plein air study

LuAnn Widergren
2022, oil, 18 x 24 in.
Available from artist
Studio from a plein air study

Rick J. Delanty
2022, acrylic, 15 x 30 in.
Collection the artist
Studio from plein air study
This post is sponsored by the art workshop “Clouds and Sky in Watercolor and Oil” (preview here!). This compilation video features 14 of today’s most talented artists demonstrating their best methods and techniques for capturing the elusive subjects of clouds and skies.