The sooner a painting is “good” the better, right? “A painting lives or dies in the first 15 minutes,” an artist I know is fond of saying. That’s not necessarily how it is for everyone [...]

The latest round of winning paintings from the monthly PleinAir Salon have been announced by judge Darrell Beauchamp, executive director of the Museum of Western Art in Kerrville, TX. Beauchamp awarded place overall to Bill Farnsworth [...]

Modern artist Henri Matisse didn’t paint en plein air – not in the way we think of it anyway. He did, however, write, “An artist must possess nature.” And this short and sweet sentence holds [...]

According to Brueghel when Icarus fell it was spring  a farmer was ploughing his field the whole pageantry  of the year was awake tingling with itself  sweating in the sun that melted the wings' wax  [...]

Several populous cities in the United States and Europe have announced a coordinated effort to discourage plein air painting in urban settings, citing safety concerns and “an abundance of caution.” “We are acting to quell [...]

At the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains, nestled between Tennessee and North Carolina, lie the Great Smoky Mountains. A natural mist lingers over them, giving them their iconic appearance and their name. Great Smoky [...]

Landscape painters often say their paintings capture “a sense of place.”  It’s an intriguing phrase when you think about it. It’s most often understood to mean that, in an age where cameras can (and do!) [...]

For their own reasons, some artists or writers disguise their work with a pseudonym. Most of the time, it’s a made-up name, not one “borrowed” from a real person. This artist was different. French realist [...]

Just like the lingering end of winter and the painfully gradual arrival of spring, sometimes your muse can seem like a slacker. It’s great to shake yourself out of the daily daze with a vacation [...]

There’s plenty of evidence that creativity can improve and even prolong your life. Taking up an art like painting keeps your mind limber and your emotions alive, helps you stay curious and adventurous, and it [...]