art bites plein air painting history 2711050

The article traces the history of plein air painting, beginning with French painter Pierre Henri de Valenciennes in the 1780s, who created one of the earliest known outdoor oil sketches on the banks of the river Rance in Brittany. It follows the evolution of the practice through British painter John Constable, the Barbizon school in France, and the revolutionary impact of John G. Rand's invention of the paint tube in 1841, which enabled artists like Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir to capture light and atmosphere with unprecedented accuracy.

Scene Calendar: Local theater, live music, dance, PorchFest 2026

The Gainesville region is hosting several significant visual arts events this week, headlined by the Harn Museum of Art’s exhibition "Florida in the Frame." This expansive show features over 65 artists, including American masters Winslow Homer and John Singer Sargent alongside Florida Highwaymen painters, exploring a century of the state’s evolving landscapes and culture. Additionally, the Gainesville Fine Arts Association is presenting "Song," a group exhibition of music-inspired local art, while the ninth annual Santa Fe Springs Plein Air Paintout invites the public to watch artists work live at O’Leno State Park.

Painting the park: Artists blossom at Wegerzyn as they make it their classroom

Sinclair Community College associate professor of art Bridgette Bogle took her mixed-level painting class to Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark in Dayton, Ohio, for a plein air painting session. Students ranging in age from 18 to 80, including postal worker Don Adams and lifelong artist Aubrey Botts, set up easels throughout the gardens to paint landscapes outdoors, learning the Impressionist-inspired technique of working quickly in natural light.

Károly Ferenczy, Elusive Inventor of Hungarian Modernity at the Petit Palais

Károly Ferenczy, insaisissable inventeur de la modernité hongroise au Petit Palais

The Petit Palais in Paris is presenting a major exhibition dedicated to Károly Ferenczy, a pivotal figure in Hungarian modernism. The show features works like his 1896 painting 'Le Sermon sur la montagne,' exploring his role within the Nagybánya artists' colony and his synthesis of plein air painting with a European artistic education.

‘All about the history’: Marshall’s Michelson Museum of Art opens newest exhibit to public

The Michelson Museum of Art in Marshall, Texas, has launched "Postcards from Home," a new exhibition featuring the works of Max Cole and Don Brown. The show highlights the regional history of East Texas through Cole’s illustrations of historic landmarks and Brown’s plein air paintings of local landscapes like Caddo Lake. The exhibition was organized through a collaboration with the Harrison County Historical Museum and Centenary College, bringing together works that were previously held in private and bank collections.

Pasadena’s American Legacy Fine Arts Debuts ‘Mastering the Mood’ Exhibition

American Legacy Fine Arts, a private gallery in Pasadena, has opened a new exhibition titled 'Mastering the Mood: Atmospheric Emotion.' The show, running from April 24 to June 6, features 14 nationally recognized painters, including Peter Adams, Warren Chang, and Jean LeGassick, whose works use light, color, and atmosphere to transform landscapes and still lifes into immersive emotional experiences.

Minnesota Marine Art Museum celebrates two new collections with weekend events

The Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona is hosting a "Spring New Look Weekend" from Friday through Sunday to celebrate two new collections. The first, "Myths & Legends of Minnesota: An Exhibition of the Minnesota Plein Air Collective," features 43 paintings by 32 artists created outdoors across the state, focusing on folklore, oral traditions, and waterways. The second, "Gordon Coons: Gidibaajimomin / We Tell Stories," showcases 18 new works by Ojibwa artist Gordon Coons, along with earlier pieces and examples of Woodland Style art from Norval Morrisseau and Sam Ash. The weekend includes plein air painting demonstrations, a printmaking activity with Coons, meet-the-artist tours, and an evening social.

‘Ojai Mystique’ exhibition returns to Ojai Valley Museum

The Ojai Valley Museum has opened its annual 'Ojai Mystique' exhibition, featuring 19 invited artists from California and beyond. Each artist created two paintings inspired by the Ojai Valley—a large masterwork and a smaller companion piece—resulting in 38 works that explore the region's landscape, atmosphere, and light. The exhibition runs through August 9 and includes a series of Sunday Town Talks with artists and a master framer.

Route 66 art exhibit opens at Amarillo Art Institute

The Amarillo Art Institute’s Vermillion Gallery opened the “Mother Road — Open Air, Open Road” exhibition, a juried show featuring plein air paintings of Route 66 landmarks in Texas and New Mexico. Awards were presented at a reception, with Wendy Ahlm winning Best in Show for “Help Wanted,” Lisa Flynn earning an Honorable Mention for “Café Stop,” and Dick Wimberley receiving the People’s Choice Award for his painting of the Blue Swallow Motel. Other winners included Carolyn Lindsey (second place) and Michele Byrne (third place).

Tribute exhibition celebrates ‘extraordinary’ Devon artist

A tribute exhibition titled "Jennifer Johnson: Atmosphere, Colour and Light" will be held at The Loft Studio, Salcombe Art Club, from May 24 to June 7, 2025, celebrating the life and work of Devon-based artist Jennifer Johnson, who died last year after a long battle with cancer. The exhibition, organized by her son Christopher Derrick, will showcase her extensive body of work—including watercolours, oils, drawings, collages, and digital art—and will raise funds for St. Luke’s Hospice, which cared for her in her final days.

Hungarian Modernity: the exhibition that sheds light on an overlooked painter at the Petit Palais, our photos

The Petit Palais in Paris is hosting the first French retrospective dedicated to Károly Ferenczy, a seminal figure in Hungarian art history. Running from April 14 to September 6, 2026, the exhibition features nearly 140 paintings and drawings, many on loan from the Hungarian National Gallery and private collections in Budapest. The showcase traces Ferenczy’s stylistic evolution from naturalism to symbolism and impressionism, highlighting his role as a founder of the Nagybánya artists' colony and a pioneer of en plein air painting in Central Europe.

South Dakota Art Museum Guild Program: Rodger Ellingson | Events and Seasons: Painting in Living Color

The South Dakota Art Museum Guild will host a program on April 28, 2026, featuring Sioux Falls artist Rodger Ellingson. Ellingson will present “Events and Seasons: Painting in Living Color,” showcasing his plein air and studio works in watercolor and acrylic, with subjects drawn from the upper Midwest and northern Rockies. The event includes coffee and social time at 9:30 a.m., followed by the program at 10 a.m. at the South Dakota Art Museum in Brookings.

‘Let’s Go Fly A Kite’ Show Opens Friday, May 1 At Fuller Lodge Art Center Gallery

The Los Alamos Arts Council and the Plein Air Painters of New Mexico present 'Let’s Go Fly A Kite', a paint-out and exhibition opening Friday, May 1 at the Fuller Lodge Art Center Gallery. The show features works created by 28 local and regional artists who painted outdoors at the 30th Annual Kite Festival and around the community, with many pieces depicting kites and their fliers at Overlook Park. A reception for LAAC members runs from 4:30-5:30 PM, followed by a public reception from 5:30-7 PM; the exhibition continues through May 29th.

Take in the beauty of Italy, on display at new art gallery

The "From Italy With Love" exhibition recently debuted at Il Gelato di Carlotta’s gallery space in Niagara-on-the-Lake, showcasing works created during immersive painting workshops across Italy. Led by artist and instructor Sandra Iafrate, the collection features oil, acrylic, and mixed-media pieces produced on location in regions including Tuscany, Sicily, and Puglia. The show runs through June 30, with additional works displayed at Iafrate’s local Gate Street Studio.

What to know about 'The Bird Sisters' art exhibit opening April 17

Artists and sisters Darlene Belair and Karen Dheel are set to debut a collaborative exhibition titled "The Bird Sisters" on April 17 at the Michigan Wine and Beer Portal in Monroe. The three-month showcase features a diverse range of acrylic, watercolor, and mixed media paintings that reflect the duo's deep connection to the local landscape. Belair, a long-time community artist and resident at the River Raisin National Battlefield Park, will present nature-focused works, while Dheel will display plein air paintings and pieces inspired by the symbolism of ravens.

With Gallery Opening, Local Artist Creates Masterpieces from Places Right Under Our Noses

Local artist Fred Jackson, whose work focuses on the alleyways and one-way roads of West Chester, Pennsylvania, is opening a solo exhibition at the Church Street Gallery on January 9, 2026. Jackson, who grew up on Franklin Street and began painting only about ten years ago, creates his works en plein air and in his studio, drawing inspiration from the borough's often-overlooked backstreets and architecture. The exhibition will feature dozens of oil paintings and run until February 28.

Plein air art exhibition 'Historic Impressions on a Modern Canvas' opens Oct. 9 in St. Augustine

The St. Johns Cultural Council and the St. Augustine Art Association present the plein air art exhibition 'Historic Impressions on a Modern Canvas,' opening October 9 at the Rotunda Gallery in St. Augustine, Florida. Juried by artist Kathy Odom, the show features works created during the city's April Plein Air Paint Out and other local paint-out events at venues including the Lightner Museum Garden and Fort Mose Historic State Park. A public reception with a People's Choice Awards vote will be held on opening night.

Open Air/Open Space Art Exhibition at the Wayrick Wildlife Art Gallery

The Wayrick Wildlife Art Gallery at the Schermann Hoffman's Nature Center in Somerset County, New Jersey, is hosting the "Open Air/Open Space" juried art exhibition from February 6 through March 25. The show features works by professional and novice New Jersey Plein Air artists, celebrating the county's Open Space Preservation Program and its public park system.

You're invited to a pop-up gallery & urban art fair in Salt Lake City's Central 9th neighborhood

A pop-up gallery and urban art fair will take place on Saturday, May 2, 2026, in the shared alleyway between Scion Cider and Laziz Kitchen on Jefferson Street in Salt Lake City's Central 9th neighborhood, from noon to 6 PM. The event features limited edition framed street photography, Plein Air paintings, watercolors, still life images, and mixed media pieces for sale, all depicting indoor and outdoor scenes from the neighborhood. Interactive stations include a Sip & Paint Class led by artist Ammy Foste and a pop-up photo booth by the SLC Photo Community. The event is hosted by Scion Cider, created through the city's ACE Grant Fund for Arts, Culture & Entertainment, and supported by the Intermountain Artist Society, the Utah Watercolor Society, and the SLC Photo Community.

California Art Club’s “American Road Trip” Opens at the Old Mill

The California Art Club opens its third exhibition, “A Rite of Passage: The American Road Trip,” at the Old Mill in San Marino on May 14. The show features paintings by CAC artists depicting cross-country highway scenes, including desert roads, small-town main streets, and roadside landmarks, as part of the club’s series celebrating California’s 175th anniversary and the United States’ 250th. The exhibition runs through October 4.

Gallery opening reception for Samuel Baltes May 8 at Yes Arts

Kentucky-based painter Samuel Baltes will be featured in a solo exhibition opening May 8 at Yes Arts in Frankfort. The showcase highlights Baltes’ plein air landscape paintings, which draw heavily from Realist and Impressionist traditions to capture the subtle shifts of light and atmosphere in everyday environments.

Open Air/Open Space Art Exhibition at the Wayrick Wildlife Art Gallery

The Wayrick Wildlife Art Gallery at the Schermann Hoffman Nature Center in Somerset County, New Jersey, is hosting the "Open Air/Open Space" juried art exhibition from February 6 through March 25. The show features works by professional and novice New Jersey Plein Air artists, all celebrating the county's Open Space Preservation Program and its network of public parks.

Open Air/Open Space Art Exhibition at the Wayrick Wildlife Art Gallery

The Wayrick Wildlife Art Gallery is hosting "Open Air / Open Space," a juried exhibition running from February 6 through March 25 at the Schermann Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary. The show features plein air paintings created by both professional and amateur New Jersey artists, all focusing on the diverse landscapes found within Somerset County’s public park system.

Michigan Impressionist Opens Solo Exhibition at Geek Brush Studio

Geek Brush Studio in Chelsea, Michigan, has launched a solo exhibition for local impressionist Sue Craig, running through the end of April. The showcase features a diverse range of original oil paintings, watercolors, and pastels that highlight the natural landscapes of Michigan and the historic architecture of Chelsea, including notable works like 'Lake Michigan Beach' and 'Seitz’s Tavern II.'

Open Air/Open Space Art Exhibition at the Wayrick Wildlife Art Gallery

The Wayrick Wildlife Art Gallery is hosting "Open Air / Open Space," a juried exhibition running from February 6 through March 25. The show features plein air paintings created by both professional and novice New Jersey artists, all focused on capturing the landscapes within Somerset County’s public park system.