The 6th Annual Plein Air Live came to an end Saturday, November 8th, wrapping up with some of today’s best landscape painters sharing all of their secrets, explaining their materials, methods, and more, with a focus on painting en plein air.
The next online Live event is Watercolor Live, January 21-23, 2026, with an Essential Techniques Day on January 20. Join us to be with fellow painters online for days of demonstrations, Q&A with your favorite artists, and mingling during the breakout rooms and cocktail hours.
In case you missed it, here are some of our favorite moments from Plein Air Live:
In his lesson, Mark Mehaffey explained the split-primary palette (a warm and a color of each of the primaries – “plus a couple”) and how it simplifies and creates unity for both plein air and studio work.
Jill Stefani Wagner gave us smart tips and techniques on how to start a painting en plein air. She joined us from a beautiful lavender farm, and used pastel to create a gorgeous landscape.
“Gouache is more than you probably think it is,” said Justin Donaldson. He began with sharing examples of his plein air paintings that prove the wide range of styles you can achieve with this medium: “It gives us everything we could possibly ask for in a plein air painting.”
Painting on the California coast in Santa Cruz, Scott Hamill chose the area for its cliffs, bluff, and the basic shapes of the water and land, with the movement of the waves. He showed us how to make a scene more approachable by focusing on simple shapes and not worrying about the details. He encourages artists to “Relax, have fun, and enjoy the process.”
In her session, Keiko Tanabe said that one of her favorite parts of painting en plein air is wondering around a space to find just the right location to setup, taking into consideration the shade (she filmed on a muggy, 80-degree day in upstate New York), the light that calls to her, or a certain shape, or just the feeling of a place.
“I felt like I was just part of a magical informative fairytale.” ~Judith S., after Keiko’s demonstration
Joining us from the summit of Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs, Kathleen Hudson led a plein air demo that covered mountain aspects such as changing atmosphere, jagged rock edges, light and shadows, color mixing – all of the basics of painting, but with a focus on doing it in a high alpine environment.
The next Plein Air Live takes place in September 2026, but you don’t have to wait that long to join many of your fellow painters, including today’s best teachers. Join us in person at the Plein Air Convention & Expo in the Ozarks of Missouri, May 14-18, 2026. Andrew Tischler (oil), Thomas W. Schaller (watercolor), and Carrie Curran (plein air basics) are leading the pre-convention workshops. There are multiple stages and dozens of instructors and field painters providing guidance every day. We’ll be there – will you?
“Five stars, and it gets better every year, even when you can not imagine how.” ~ Nancy L.
View more contemporary landscape paintings here at RealismToday.com
