PleinAir Magazine

Born to English parents in France, Alfred Sisley (1839-1899) remained something of an outsider his entire life. Although he’s recognized along with friends Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Claude Monet as one of the crucial figures in Impressionism, he neve

Most remembered for his lurid portrayals of prostitutes and Parisian nightlife, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec also painted a series of poignant plein air portraits between 1889 and 1891. Set in the garden of Monsieur Père Forest, his neighbor in the Pari

More than just a compositional construct, doors, windows, and passageways provide the opportunity to imbue a painting with a sense of mystery. Whether our view is looking out, looking in, or down a corridor, we can’t help but wonder what awaits on th

Maine oil painter Don Demers sits nearly alone at the top of contemporary maritime art, but recently his work has undergone a fundamental shift in subject matter. In short, he’s gone inland. And while he’s unlikely to ever give up painting marine sce

Humans evolve slowly. We’ve occupied apartment buildings, office towers, and shopping centers for a tiny fraction of our time on Earth. Thanks to our primitive drives, we are still closely attuned to the cycles, scents, sights, and sounds of nature,

Born in Madrid, and now living in Griñón, a small town just south of the city, Pablo Rubén López Sanz has traveled the world capturing scenes in rich, tonal watercolors. I caught up with him recently, in between his trips abroad and local plein air e

Born and raised in Santa Barbara in the 1950s, Dennis Doheny grew up with a wide-eyed admiration of his surroundings, thanks in part to his father, who was a cattle rancher. “He was a cowboy, so we had a lot of Western art,” Doheny says. An appreciat

Many plein air painters are also studio painters, and while the streams of production may differ, a dialogue exists between the two activities. The speed and decisiveness required to pull off plein air paintings, for instance, can lead to a greater c

Though I’m primarily a landscape painter, I love adding figures to my work whenever appropriate. Over the years, I’ve discovered that figures can greatly enhance the visual story of a plein air painting. If positioned properly, they not only add inst

Any journey that begins with a safari through the African bush and ends with a visit to one of the world’s Seven Wonders — with time for painting along the way — is bound to offer some choice experiences,” says Fran Wood. “For a dozen adventurous art

For the past 15 years, Plein Air Grand Marais has attracted outdoor painters to Lake Superior’s North Shore. This September, the Outdoor Painters of Minnesota collaborated with Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery to engage painters, visitors, and the l

The Laguna Plein Air Painters Association (LPAPA) marked a milestone anniversary with 50 invited artists who spent a week painting the town for the 20th Annual Laguna Beach Plein Air Painting Invitational. A celebration of plein air painting, the inv

A couple of chilly days and a surprise downpour during the 5th Annual EnPleinAirTEXAS competition could not dampen the enthusiasm of the 33 resilient artists who, much to the delight of the San Angelo patrons, produced scenes of babbling creeks and s

Plein air painters know better than most all that Mother Nature can throw at us. From fast-moving storms and blinding sunlight to winds that pick up out of nowhere, there’s not much they haven’t seen. But for the 74 artists who participated in the 20

You don’t have to look far to find proof that the plein air movement is thriving. With events across the country, artists, collectors, and enthusiasts have myriad opportunities to indulge in their favorite form of painting. Drawn together by an appre

With light changing fast in the field, time is often of the essence, and on occasion I’ve spent more time than I should looking for the right location to paint. To evaluate a landscape as a potential painting subject on the spot, I ask myself a few q