PleinAir Magazine December/January 2021-2022

Rediscovered 25 years ago, this small plein air oil sketch shed light on a little-known aspect of Jean Honoré Fragonard’s practice. Described as “a quick response to nature, as if the artist were recording an impression glimpsed from a carriage window as it rolled through the countryside,” it confirms that although drawing en plein air was well established by the mid-18th century, the artist was an early adopter of painting full-color aides memoires outdoors. Beginning with paper prepared with a thin white ground, Fragonard quickly outlined the major forms, using black chalk or crayon. He then thinly brushed in the foreground and the masses of trees with oil, returning with thicker brushstrokes to add volume and character to the foliage. The mountain range at the lower center and the cloudy sky…

If you’ve attended my art marketing sessions at the Plein Air Convention & Expo, you’ve probably heard me talk about how artists need to understand that attrition will always affect their customer lists. For instance, if you have 100 names on your list of prospects, 10 percent of them will go away every year because of loss of interest, changed circumstances, lack of money, changes to health, or death. I also talk about how in 2008, when we had a major economic crash, most artists and galleries saw attrition of 40 to 60 percent of their customers. I teach that marketing art is like an escalator: there are always people going down the escalator, while others are coming up. Our job is to find ways to bring new people in, to…

In 2011, we saw the rise of Adele, the end of the Oprah show, and the royal wedding of William and Kate. Launched the year before, Instagram was becoming a powerful new art marketing tool, and interest in plein air painting was on the rise. A growing number of outdoor painting events were popping up in communities around the country, and PleinAir Magazine was relaunched, with Steve Doherty as its new editor. Throughout the year, we’ve been celebrating the 10th anniversary of this milestone event, with stories about the practice of outdoor painting around the world, emerging artists to add to your collections now, and the history of plein air. As one final hurrah, we pored through the archives and selected 10 plein air paintings for this issue that we think…

Most artists are happy to talk about what inspires them, where and with whom they studied, the subjects they pursue, the medium in which they work, or the techniques they employ. But talking about money — what their work costs, how and when they want to be paid, whether they allow discounts, and if so, how much — knocks them off a lofty perch, making them feel like used-car salesmen. PRICING ARTWORK In the building trades, contractors charge hourly rates, as well as the cost of materials plus an average 15 percent markup, but artists cannot do the same. Some artists simply work more slowly than others, for one thing. More importantly, the final price may have no relationship to the market for the artist’s work, especially if the artist is relatively…

Of the sky, philosopher and art critic John Ruskin (English, 1819–1900) once said, “It is the part of creation in which Nature has done more for the sake of pleasing man, more for the sole and evident purpose of talking to him and teaching him, than in any other of her works.” The artists who created the 17 paintings featured here each tell their own unique story about the sky, from vibrant sunrises and sunsets to the drama of a cloudy afternoon. “I have painted this inspirational view at the Hameau Farm Studio Artist Retreat many times, but this particular sunset was special,” says Susan Nicholas Gephart. “I captured it in a brief painting session and never touched it again.” “I had just finished teaching a two-day plein air workshop and…

If you hit upon a formula that dependably resulted in steady sales, would you keep making the same type of painting, over and over? If so, how many do you imagine you could you do before you would feel compelled to stop? Some of us may hope to face such a conundrum. But artistic growth means challenging oneself, and it’s not hard to find successful artists who have worked through such questions and vowed to paint for themselves. Chris Morel is one. “When you get to know a group of painters like I have, you are constantly inspired and trying to continue to learn, to up your game,” Morel says. “Everybody is working hard. The pros I’ve met in this business are really dedicated to their craft. My advice to you?…