Resources for Plein Air Artists

A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

After such a chilly early spring, we have finally had the pleasure of a long string of beautiful painting days. The earth is so lush and vibrant; the spring sky is full of brilliant billowing clouds and rose colored sunsets. We are enjoying a renewal of spirit just experiencing the rebirth of the landscape. It is plein air time.

Our first early paint out was at Hubbard Park. It was a breezy day. There were five artists painting together. Our next paint out is May 17 and 18th at the Durham Green, in Durham. I used to teach middle school art in Durham and take my seventh graders out to sit on the lawn and paint the historic town green buildings. Artists should meet and park at the library. I am teaching most of those two days, but hope to make it Saturday afternoon, sorry I’ll miss lunch with everyone. It is a beautiful site and I don’t want to miss it. Thank you Tom Mayer, our paint out chair, for planning this great paint out.

We have two exhibitions coming up. Our Members Annual Exhibit runs from early November through the end of January 2014. The deadline for submission is September 18. We will post all of the details when we post the prospectus, which will be on our website. Remember, this year’s juror and judge will be Jerry Weiss.

The other exhibit is an opportunity to paint the Schooners in Mystic before and New London following the Race. This is a four day plein air paint competition, and wet paintings will be exhibited and sold in a juried exhibit at the Firehouse Gallery in New London. Many thanks to Jill Nichols, CPAPS Vice President for coordinating and chairing both of these excellent exhibitions.

We are very fortunate to have Zufar Bikbov managing our facebook page. He has been doing an outstanding job of keeping our page updated and accurate. We are offering our members a great opportunity to become more visible through this avenue of social media.

I am sorry to also share that we will be losing our wonderful and competent Treasurer, Patricia Corbett. Pat has done an incredible job of handling our finances and converting them over to a Quickbooks system. This has been a tremendously time consuming task, and I want to express my gratitude and appreciation for her many fine hours of volunteering. Pat has many demands on her time, and wants to spend more of it with her family. Her term ends in August, so she is graciously offering her notice now, providing ample time to train her replacement. I would like to ask that if one of our members is interested in the position of CPAPS Treasurer, that they please contact me.

May your painting never blow over in a gust, may your pallet be free of sand and bugs, and may the sky never cloud over and downpour in the middle of your inspiration.

Elizabeth Rhoades,
President , CPAPS

JOIN US FOR OUR PAINTOUTS - Every year we offer a diverse schedule of paintout locations that will appeal to our far-flung membership. Our first group paintout will take place April 27 at Ashlawn Farm in Old Lyme. We invite CPAPS member and non-members to join us. Painting out together is a great opportunity to mix and mingle with artists who like to paint en plein air. See our Paint Out Schedule.

OPPORTUNITIES AND EVENTS FROM THE CPAPS BULLETIN BOARD
Every year, we are contacted by various organizations who invite our membership to participate in their events - opportunities to paint on location or exhibit or both. Our new Bulletin Board page lists those opportunities and much more. If you have items to suggest for the bulletin board, send them to Elizabeth Rhoades, CPAPS President.

WORKSHOPS AND CLASSES - If you are looking for a workshop or class, we invite you to investigate the classes and workshops offered by our Elected Art members. Visit our Workshops page.

WHAT IS PLEIN AIR PAINTING? Plein Air is a French phrase that means "in the open air". The term decsribes a style of painting made directly from nature in order to capture the fleeting effects of light. The painter's challenge is to create an impression of the scene in the immediacy of the moment.
More about Plein Air Painting

The Connecticut Plein Air Painters Society was founded in 1995 by Jane Zisk and has grown from a small group into a membership of over 100 professional and emerging artists dedicated to plein air painting. The Society was the subject of a Feature Article iin American Artist Magazine.  The article provides background on the formation of the Society and celebrates the joy of plein air painting. Read the article.

E-Mail the Society

Connecticut Plein Air Painters Society, P. O. Box 221, Stafford Springs, CT 06075