Plein air painting – paintings made outdoors – became popular in the mid-nineteenth century when artists turned to the landscape as subject. At the same time, the simplification of materials allowed artists to use pre-mixed tubes of paint, instead of mixing their own. This gave them more freedom to paint beyond the studio, within the landscape and directly from their subjects. Prior to this time, artists generally used their small, outdoor watercolors and sketches as reference material for larger and more complex paintings made later in the studio. By contrast, plein air painters take advantage of the natural light, atmosphere and color in the outdoor environment. Over the last decade, plein air painting has enjoyed a resurgence and plein air festivals and exhibitions can be found across the U.S. every summer.

The Groveland Gallery Plein Air Invitational will include the work of Groveland Gallery artists Richard Abraham, Kristie Bretzke, Joshua Cunningham, Robert Dorlac, Susan Horn, Tom Maakestad, Barbara McIlrath, Carl Oltvedt, Holly Swift, and Justin Terlecki, with guest artists Neil Sherman, Scott Lloyd Anderson, Carl Bretzke, Andy Evanson, Aaron Jacobs, Stuart Loughridge, and Dan Mondloch.

The artists will be present at the opening reception Thursday, July 20^th from 5-8 pm.