Innholdsfortegnelse for December/January 2024-2025 i PleinAir Magazine

After establishing a successful career as an engraver and portrait artist, Asher Brown Durand (American, 1796-1886) began specializing in landscapes during the late 1830s as a member of the Hudson River School. His forest interiors embody his belief that the artist should aspire to the greatest possible fidelity in capturing the actual appearance of the natural world. To achieve the close, almost scientific, observation of nature he espoused, he took numerous excursions into the woods so he could work directly from the landscape. Painting with carefully controlled brushwork and often with considerable glazing, Durand regarded his studies as finished works in their own right. “Every tree has its traits of individuality,” he said. In Forest in the Morning Light, one in a series of “tree portraits” the artist painted, the…

When master watercolorist Zhang Xiaochang and his wife, Shirley, sent out invitations to join them last summer for a week of painting, fine dining, and stellar company in north Lake Tahoe, these nine artists happily accepted: Andy Evansen, Ratindra Das, Stephen Quiller, Barbara Nechis, Jean Pederson, John Salminen, Kathleen Conover, Mark Mehaffey, and Mary Whyte. Although only a few would call themselves plein air painters, all brought their sense of humor, a willingness to learn from and share with one another, and a love for their craft. “It was a bit intimidating at first, but once painting, we were all friends, unified by the same task in front of us: how to capture this expanse of stunning beauty on a flat piece of paper, with our own unique voice,” says…

AUGUST AUGUST “BEST OF” CATEGORY AWARDS The 14th annual PleinAir Salon consists of 12 monthly contests from April 2024 to March 2025. The awards will be presented in May 2025 at the Plein Air Convention & Expo, in Lake Tahoe and Reno, Nevada. Winners of each monthly contest are automatically entered into the annual competition. First prize in the annual Salon is $15,000 cash and the publication of the winning image on the cover of PleinAir Magazine, along with a feature story. Second Place earns an artist $3,000 and an article in the digital edition of PleinAir Magazine. Third Place yields $2,000 in cash, with three Honorable Mentions taking home $700 each and a People's Choice Award garnering $500. Four Best Medium Awards for acrylic, oil, pastel, and watercolor are…

Recently I was the judge at the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association (LPAPA) annual painting invitational. Though I've judged numerous online competitions, it's the first in-person judging I've done since before COVID. I also had the pleasure of participating in a panel discussion and speaking to the collectors who were present. I was reminded of how much I enjoy interacting with collectors and my artist friends, but I also realized something was missing — something that needs to be part of every event. During the Collectors' Gala I overheard one of the volunteers say that it would be nice if they sold a few more paintings. Everyone is always nervous at these things, since they work toward it all year and want to ensure its success. So I offered to…

Pastelists are often thought of as colorists — artists who rely on color to make their artistic statements — but often it's just the vibrancy of the medium that makes it seem so. Despite the fact that one can blend the pigment of two different pastel sticks on the paper, and although muted colors are certainly available to pastel artists, by its nature pastel wants to show its strong chroma. It can be surprising, then, when a pastel painter like Stan Sperlak demonstrates how a small, strategic line or color can enliven an entire painting. “Subtlety is suggestion,” Sperlak says. “It has to be simple to be special.” The artist points to the road scratched into the quick plein air sketch of his Icelandic Horses in the Distance. The concept…

SEPTEMBER SEPTEMBER “BEST OF” CATEGORY AWARDS The 14th annual PleinAir Salon consists of 12 monthly contests from April 2024 to March 2025. The awards will be presented in May 2025 at the Plein Air Convention & Expo, in Lake Tahoe and Reno, Nevada. Winners of each monthly contest are automatically entered into the annual competition. First prize in the annual Salon is $15,000 cash and the publication of the winning image on the cover of PleinAir Magazine, along with a feature story. Second Place earns an artist $3,000 and an article in the digital edition of PleinAir Magazine. Third Place yields $2,000 in cash, with three Honorable Mentions taking home $700 each and a People's Choice Award garnering $500. Four Best Medium Awards for acrylic, oil, pastel, and watercolor are…

facebook.com/pleinairmagazine twitter.com/pleinairmag Instagram.com/pleinairmag A growing body of evidence proves something the readers of this magazine have long understood: Art makes us feel better. Whether we're making it or simply looking at it, art can transform our biology by rewiring our brains and triggering the release of neurochemicals, hormones, and endorphins. In response, doctors, social workers, and other public health practitioners have started to prescribe art experiences as part of treating a wide array of conditions, including obesity, heart disease, chronic pain, dementia, Parkinson's disease, loneliness, and depression. “Art opens the closets, airs out the cellars and attics. It brings healing.” — Julia Cameron One study showed that making art of any kind for just 45 minutes lowered the stress hormone cortisol by as much as 25 percent. Other research suggests that…

To paint better trees, you need to understand trees better. That's the surprising verdict of 20th-century landscape painter and author John F. Carlson. In his iconic Carlson's Guide to Landscape Painting, he writes, “It is curious how one's feelings about trees change in proportion to one's appreciation of their importance and dignity as live beings. Trees are individual beings: they can be comic, heroic, tragic to the sensitive, practiced eye of the landscape artist.” Here, three top plein air painters tell you not just how to paint trees, but how to know trees — and that can make all the difference in your results. KEIKO TANABE | THE ROLES TREES PLAY I'm a landscape artist, so it's natural for trees to show up frequently in my paintings. As common as…

FALL COLOR WEEK ON THE CALIFORNIA COAST In early October, nearly 100 plein air painters met on California's rugged central coast for the Publisher's Invitational painting retreat known as Fall Color Week. “The event is designed for people who want to meet other artists, get better at painting through practice, and take the time they wouldn't on their own to do two or three paintings in a week,” says PleinAir Magazine publisher Eric Rhoads. ESCAPE TO SUNNY FLORIDA THIS WINTER In February, join PleinAir Magazine publisher Eric Rhoads and 99 of your fellow artists for a week of painting in iconic locations around Old Town, St. Augustine, Florida, where inspiration can be found in the historic Spanish buildings, sun-drenched beaches, lighthouses, gardens, and more. “Our exclusive Publisher's Invitational events are…

YOU ARE A PART OF SOMETHING GIANT. According to art historian Jean Stern, plein air painting is the largest movement in art history … and growing. You are part of this important art movement. If you study art history, as I have extensively, you'll learn that evidence of plein air painting goes back several hundred years. Over time, painters have been inspired to take sketchbooks, brushes, and canvas outside, and small plein air movements have arisen. The best known were Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, and the Barbizon School. But each of these involved just a handful of artists. Of course, America has its own rich history with the Hudson River School, which involved sketching, oil sketching, and, in some rare cases, full paintings on location. Later, artists like Theodore Robinson, J. Alden…

The upcoming year promises to be an exciting one for the plein air movement. In this handy Ultimate Guide, we've compiled an extensive list of plein air events, organized by month and state, that will appeal to all. Whether you are a collector, art aficionado, or plein air artist, there is surely an event to please everyone. Whet your appetite with this comprehensive guide while planning your next plein air adventure. Ranging from the mountains to the coastal regions, you may choose from a wide variety of opportunities, including annual plein air events. The list includes Streamline's ever-popular Plein Air Convention & Expo, in Lake Tahoe this year, our Publisher's Invitational in the Adirondacks, and our first ever Publisher's Invitational Winter Escape in historic St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest city…

PLEIN AIR WASHINGTON ARTISTS Janelle Kroner, President Contact: Fatima Young pawapr@pleinairwashingtonartists.com pleinairwashingtonartists.com PAWA, in its 25th Anniversary year as a nonprofit organization, has 350+ members. Our mission is promoting and encouraging plein air painting throughout Washington state. A $30 membership includes participation in our statewide paint-outs and pop-ups, winter paint-ins, and two annual juried gallery exhibitions. In addition, nationally recognized artists instruct at workshops for members. Become a member. Join us on location. Visit: www.pleinairwashingtonartists.com/join 2025 OUTDOOR PAINTERS OF MINNESOTA OPM is a thriving plein air painting nonprofit with over 200 members ranging from beginners to advanced amateur and professional painters. A $40 calendar-year membership fee includes opportunities to participate in juried and open exhibits coordinated with community partners and other arts organizations, plus monthly paint-outs, quarterly workshops and plein…