Plein Air Paint-outs

The Plein Air Group meets Tuesday afternoons, weather permitting. If you want to be notified of upcoming outings, contact plein air co-ordinators Susan Lea Hackett at 209-965-0253 or Maureen Carden at 510 388 3516.

Winter in the Gold Country

January 6, 2020: It's winter, but we still get beautiful weather for outdoor painting. It's harder to schedule regular paint-outs, but we're still working outdoors. Susan Kendall painted on Washington Street in downtown Sonora (left), with the iconic Red Church. Maureen Carden painted the cypresses in the old City Cemetery (right).

Barbara Young painted at Crystal Falls Lake (below). She stencilled leave shapes onto water color paper and developed her sketch over that.

Barbara Young, "Crystal Falls Lake", watercolor, one color over leaf stencils, 2019

Paint-Out at the Twain Harte Canal, 11/12/2019

The Twain Harte Canal area offers a range of subjects for outdoor painters: the canal itself, the imposing trestle, woods, fields, a pond and, on this date, spots of brilliant fall foliage. The painters scattered. Different viewpoints -- and different painting styles -- always lead to different outcomes! That's part of the fun of plein air!

Pond, by Maureen

Pond, by Rana

Paint-Out at Sierra Glen, 11/5/2019

Plein Air coordinator Susan Lea Hackett organized a special treat for the plein air group on November 5, 2019. Sierra Glen, formerly an apple orchard and berry farm, is situated high up in the foothills off Big Hill Road in Twain Harte. A record number of painters showed up in perfect fall weather to be inspired by the lovely setting and the paintable outbuildings and farmhouse. Below: works in progress!

Rana Ford

Susan Kendall

Celia Niemerow

Maureen Carden

Plein air artists in Columbia

Susan Kendall, Celia Niemerow and Susan Lea Hackett welcomed visitors from Malawi on an October paint-out in Columbia.

The Tuolumne County Library at 480 Greenley Way in Sonora is the largest and most recent venue available to MLAA members. It’s a huge, airy space with room for a lot of art and guaranteed exposure to the public! For more information on this and other venues, visit the Venues page. Below, photos from the recent Plein Air show featuring work by Susan Kendall, Susan Lea Hackett, Judie Cain, Barbara Young, Maureen Carden, Rana Ford, Celia Niemerow, Beth Robinson, Grace Glassey, Alison Blansit, Rose Ingalls and Lorna Hunt.

Many of the works on display are for sale. Please contact the artist directly if you are interested in a piece. Contact information is available on the tags displayed by each painting.

Plein Air Painting by Susan Kendall, Artist

Susan Kendall

Blue Oak Farm. Art above, Rana; below, Susan Lea Hackett

Painting in the Red Hills

Maureen and Celia at Pinecrest

A little bit about the show and our group. The Mother Lode Art Association has been hosting events for over 60 years. It is a very active group and one of the most active is the “Plein Air” painting group.
What is plein air painting?
“Plein Air” was a term coined by the impressionist artists meaning in the open air. Artists set up their equipment, hence a little studio on location. They paint in the open air and usually complete, or complete most of, the painting on location. The paintings as a result look fresh and capture a moment in time. The media used in our group are watercolor on paper, oil on canvas or board and pastel on paper. “Plein Air” painting has been gaining in popularity ever since the French impressionists, and their California companions have been showing up to do this. California in particular has a huge “plein air” community, not only because of the beauty of our state but because of the sunshine and favorable conditions for painting “en plein air”. The Motherlode, Sierra Foothills and Sierra are particularly brilliant for this type of painting because of the limitless vistas, interesting western towns and vibrant terrain.
Our group, also known as “The Merry Band of Painters”, usually meets Tuesdays on location. We call our meet-ups, “Paint Outs”. Currently, Susan Leah Hackett of Strawberry is leading our “Paint Outs” and setting up our venues to paint. We paint ensemble for several reasons: safety, helpful critiquing by fellow painters and because we genuinely like each other and like working together.
Some of our locations include, Columbia State Park, The Red Hills, Strawberry, Pinecrest, the 108 corridor, Indigeny Reserve, Sonora, Tuolumne City, Riverside Park, Fahey Cabins in Long Barn, Sonora neighborhoods and more.
What is fun to look at in this show will be how different artist interpret the same location. The diverse styles are like a signature or thumb print for each individual artist.

Merry Band painted outside the 2018 Art Show in downtown Sonora. L to R: Susan Kendall, Susan Lea Hackett, Rana Ford, Celia Niemerow

By Susan Lea Hackett

Barb Young