It’s Tuesday, Day 2 of the Plein Air Convention in Monterey, and all I can say is “WOW!” Eric Rhoads and the Plein Air Magazine staff are presenting a convention that is over the top. This event has the best organization, the best presentations and the largest number of noted plein air artists in the same location than I have ever experienced, and I’m so glad I’m here. And, I never thought so many artists would recognize me from “The Grand View” PBS show, but it is a blast that they do. The first three days are filled with instruction and workshops that are taught by prominent plein air artists. I attended an excellent Marketing Boot camp this morning presented by Eric Rhoads. He and other contributors provided tips and strategies to increase the sale of paintings as well as increasing an artist’s visibility with the art collecting community through websites, Facebook and other popular social media sites.
Above is a plein air painting of an ocean scene of Asilomar Beach at sunset. I wanted to capture the spectacular beauty of the Monterey coastline and the dynamic action of the waves as they crashed against the rocks. The movement of the waves changed the lighting continuously and made the scene very challenging to paint. Several other artists were at the same location, and it was interesting to see what they included in their paintings as we swapped a few tips about what we learned during the day. We agreed that careful attention has been given by the Convention to creating and nurturing a sense of camaraderie and support among the artists who have varying levels of experience, as well as encouraging everyone to paint with a spirit of exploration, excitement, and friendliness. From what I experienced, I think they achieved their mission. I hope you will come to the Plein Air Convention next year and enjoy all aspects of plein air painting at its best.
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Plein air and alla prima artist Stefan Baumann, host of the PBS painting series “The Grand View, America’s National Park through the eyes of an artist” and author of “Observations Of Art and Nature,” travels in his vintage travel trailer painting America’s western landscape. Baumann paints outdoors with oils and canvas capturing stunning vistas, wildlife, western landscapes, National Parks and still life, thrilling art collectors throughout the world. He has many international collectors acquiring his paintings as investments. His painting style is called Romantic Realism with Luminism, and the extraordinary way he captures the effect of light is a truly American style used to paint the Western landscape. He can be seen plein air painting in Yellowstone, Yosemite and in the Grand Canyon. Baumann’s “how to paint” DVDs filmed on location in the National Parks are the very best on the market.