PleinAir Magazine Apr/May 2017
Get your PleinAir Magazine digital subscription today and join tens of thousands of artists and collectors who have joined a new plein air movement. Rooted in a deep history, each bi-monthly issue, edited by Kelly Kane, chronicles important events and spotlights today’s master artists, their techniques, the collectors who follow them, as well as the historic artists who came before them.
in this issue
plein air heritage
At a time when digital media is rapidly changing the publishing business and the market for original illustrations is greatly reduced, it is hard to imagine an era in which artists could become rich and famous by creating drawings and paintings for newspapers, books, magazines, and commercial advertising. However, during the Golden Age of American Illustration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, artists like Charles Dana Gibson could become wealthy celebrities. Gibson was educated at the Art Students League of New York and wanted to create paintings for publication, but the marketplace definitely favored his pen-and-ink drawings. That preference was so strong that his “Gibson Girl” became an ideal image of youthful American femininity, and Gibson’s drawings of her were responsible for the success of several magazines. At the…
keeping the plein air movement strong
Never in history have there been more plein air painters, more events featuring plein air painting, and more excellent plein air paintings being created. But what if I told you this worldwide plein air movement we all enjoy is at risk of ending? All movements come to an end. It’s usually because a leader dies, or because the movement has played itself out, or because a second or third generation doesn’t uphold quality. Sometimes it’s just about timing. As you probably know, the current plein air movement is being fueled by the large number of baby boomers who have time on their hands, are still relatively young and able, who feel the need to express themselves creatively and who want to travel to exotic places, be outdoors, be continually challenged and stimulated…
paint with confidence
I watched a short video clip of one my favorite contemporary painters, Josh Clare, in which he introduces a painting demonstration by saying, “A painting almost never turns out well unless you believe that it will.” He was pointing out how important it is for all of us to approach each new painting with the confidence that it will turn out well. He didn’t promise a sale, a prize, or a reason to boast. Instead, he assured us that when we operate in the realm of painting and have total control of what happens, the outcome will be what we believe it will be. Clare’s statement came back to me as I was interviewing several artists for this issue. In particular, Thomas Kegler told me that even though he is an…
pleinair ™ magazine’s 6 th annual plein air convention & expo
CHARLES WHITE Castro Valley, California On Fields of Gold, 30 x 40 in., oil charles43@gmail.com 510.886.0133 charleswhite.net SHELBY KEEFE Milwaukee, Wisconsin Orange Fella, 11 x 14 in., oil on linen shelbykeefe@tds.netstudioshelby.com I’ve been teaching plein air and studio painting for almost 20 years now and I still enjoy the process. I’m looking forward to helping out other artists at PACE. Charles White The BEST family reunion for artists that was ever conceived! Looking forward to coming to San Diego! Shelby Keefe MARY GARRISH Merritt Island, Florida Down by the River, 30 x 24 in., oil on linen marygarrish@aol.com 321.698.4431 marygarrishfineart.com The 2017 Plein Air Convention should be a spectacular event! I am happy to be faculty as a field painter and look forward to painting with the event participants. Mary Garrish MARY PETTIS Taylors Falls, Minnesota Pastorale, 16 x 20…
outdoor painters society plein air southwest salon 2017
LAUREL DANIEL Austin, Texas Beach Walking Day, 12 x 16 in., oil on panel laurel@laureldaniel.com| 512.632.4166 | laureldaniel.com JEANNE REAVIS Houston, Texas Wild Poppies, 16 in. x 16 in., oil on linen jearea@att.net| 713.443.8243 | jeannereavis.com LEE MACLEOD, OPS Santa Fe, NM Late Summer, Lago di Landro 11 x 14 in., oil on board leemacleodfineart.com SHERRI THOMAS Larsen, Wisconsin Taking a Break, 11 x 14 in., oil sdthomas819@gmail.com| 920.840.4767 | sherrithomas.com SUZANNE MORRIS Virginia Morning Sparkles, 16 x 20 in., oil on linen sgmpaints@aol.com| 804.370.0099 | suzannemorrisstudios.com RICHARD SNEARY Kansas City, Missouri A Time to Remember 10 x 14 in., watercolor rsneary@kc.rr.com816.765.7841 richardsneary.com ELLEN HOWARD Dallas, Texas Coastal Reflections, 8 x 16 in., oil ellenhowardart@gmail.com| ellenhowardart.com LIZ BONHAM Keller, Texas The Old Ford Crossing, 12 x 16 in., oil liz@lizbonham.com| lizbonham.com CECY TURNER Dallas, Texas Snow Aftermath in Moraine Park, 8 x 16 in., oil on panel cecy@cecyturner.com| 214.734.9315 | cecyturner.com R. GREGORY SUMMERS Overland Park, Kansas Lascassas Pike…
george nick (b. 1927)
Exhibitions are scheduled to celebrate George Nick’s 90th birthday in 2017, and tributes are being offered by former students, colleagues, collectors, and curators. When Nick celebrated his 85th birthday, Cate McQuaid, a correspondent for the Boston Globe, interviewed peers and more than 30 students. She referred to those artists as “painters who paint for painting’s sake” because “that’s what Nick taught them: how to see, and how to translate what they see to canvas.” McQuaid continued, “He drives around in his mobile studio, a converted truck, and he paints on site. You can see in his canvases the artist’s tango with the changing light. His tool kit of strokes ranges from broad and wet to dry and wispy. His keen eye (and not a little bravado) reveals surprising layers of color…
