2010 San Luis Obispo Plein Air

I just found out I've been juried into this year's San Luis Obispo Plein Air Festival! I am thrilled about this, as I had decided not to apply to very many Plein Air Events this year, as I've been busy doing commissions, and painting mostly in the studio. This has been the longest winter here in Lake Tahoe, and seeing as how it is STILL SNOWING, is very windy, and has been snowing almost every day for what seems like weeks now, I haven't really been able to do much plein air work. This, thankfully, is about to change, as the weather is reportedly going to warm up this coming week! I can't wait to get out and paint in the glorious, warm sunshine!

 http://www.sloartcenter.org/events.htm

Winters "Paint the Town 2010" Plein Air Festival

This year California Plein Air painters came out in droves to attend the Winters "Paint the Town 2010" Plein Air Festival. Eight days of painting in and around beautiful, historic Winters, CA! Hosted by Shaunie Briggs, of Briggs and Co., www.briggsandco.com , a fun and unique Fine Art and Crafts gallery in Winters, CA, the event drew over 50 painters over the course of the 8 day event. We had a 15 mi radius around Winters to paint, a fabulous dinner party given by Shaunie for the artists, and on the last day, an exhibition and sale of the paintings done during the week. Beautiful countryside to paint, great people, wonderful food, wine, live music... What more could a person ask for!?!

                      

First Spring paintings

Last week my friends Richard Lindenberg and Christine Coy came up to visit me and get in some wonderful winter painting while the snow was still fresh on the ground, and the weather good. We had five good long days of paintings and covered a lot of ground. The Truckee River, Mt Rose, Donner Summit, the beach at Bristlecone, and the backside of Ward Peak,  facing Twin Peaks. As I had been painting in the studio most of the winter, with the exception of a couple of weeks in FL over Christmas, these were my first plein air paintings of the year. It felt amazing being outside, hearing the birds and the sound of the wind, and the creeks beginning to run off into the lake. I did not need a reminder of why I love plein air painting, but it sure was great to get back out there! This next week I'll be painting in the Winters "Paint the Town 2010"