View the diverse results of one year of Plein Air (Open Air) Painting by The Plein Air Group of the Southern Shore Art Association, which meets weekly April through October to paint the sights and scenes of Northwest Indiana.
Plein Air painting has a long history beginning with the Impressionists and the Barbizon School in the 19th Century. When Monet, Cezanne, Renoir, Sargent, Homer, and their fellow artists went out into Nature to paint, they changed the idea of painting forever. The SSAA Plein Air group continues the tradition.
The artists in this group work in a variety of media: oil, watercolor, acrylic, pastel and pencil. The art displayed reflects each artist’s style and response to the location. Painting in the out of doors is much different than studio painting. The light changes, the weather changes, insects are attracted to the paint and the painters, passers-by stop to chat, cars park in front of the perfect view. But for many artists this is the only way to paint - capturing the color, light, mood and feeling of a particular place with their immediate response.
Some of the locations this year were the Baily Homestead and Chellberg Farm; the new Portage Lakeview by Burns Ditch; the Beverly Shores Train Station, the Great Marsh and Lakeview in Beverly Shores; Garwood Orchard, Kroczek’s Daylilies and Pavolka’s Orchard in LaPorte County; Indiana Dunes State Park, Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve; Trail Creek near Pioneer Pier, International Friendship Garden and Washington Park in Michigan City; the Schoolhouse Shop; Stop 29 in Long Beach; and Sunset Hill Farm County Park.
Please join the artists, enjoy light refreshments and listen to songwriter/guitarist Christina Athena during the free Opening Reception at the Southern Shore Art Association, November 4 from 5 – 8 pm, during the monthly "First Friday" celebration in Michigan City’s historic Uptown Arts District.
For more info, check out www.SouthernShoreArtAssociation.com
