ARTIST STATEMENT
Itasca Plein Air Painters
This exhibit showcases artwork created from observation by area artists in a variety of mediums including pencil, charcoal, watercolor, gouache, acrylic, and oil. Each piece is created on location, a term known as “en plein air”, derived from the French meaning “in the open air”.
Each piece tells a story of discovery, understanding, and exploration. Whether the piece is a simple sketch, a more completed drawing, a color study, a work in progress, or a completed painting, each work combines technique and media with the artist's understanding of the subject, their choice of media, and their artistic interpretation.
In a world of social media influencers and hyper-lapse video, here we see only a segment of the artistic process. Perhaps it is the beginning of an idea, a sketch loosely created. What looks like scribbles to the viewer is a mental process of understanding line, contour and shape within the rhythm of the landscape. You will find a search for understanding with a pencil drawing that delves into the structure and anatomy of a tree and its myriad texture, line, and form. Notice the gouache painting that is a flurry of abstract color as the painter explores color relationships and the interplay of mass. Yet another piece done in oil is a study of light and shadow, and a watercolor looks into the minute details of a scene.
When you look through the exhibit, do you recognize a location? How does what you see here bring awareness to what you see every day? How does the approach to the subject vary from one artist to another? Notice how certain areas are suggested and other areas deeply detailed.
About the Artists
Itasca Plein Air painters began in 2023 as a small group of artists gathered together to explore the Grand Rapids area and create art from direct observation. Through a grant from the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council in 2024, the meetups expanded to weekly outings from May to October. The paints-outs have continued in 2025 with weekly meetups at a different location each Wednesday morning. The group has continued to attract new artists from beginners to seasoned artists as well as visiting artists from throughout Minnesota and the country. This exhibit showcases some of the work created by these artists over the past two years.
“When I moved to Grand Rapids in 2023, I knew there had to be other people that love painting the outdoors as much as I do,” says Nelia Harper French, a local artist who has coordinated the paint-outs for the past two years. “I put up a flyer and invited people to paint with me, and we have continued to grow and paint together since then. As landscape artists, our inspiration comes from the land, the topography, the changes in seasons, the color and forms we find in nature, the grandeur of the sky and the nuance of what we see. It is only through the study of nature that we are able to grow as artists. Just as importantly, these weekly paint-outs also provide an opportunity to connect with other artists; network, build relationships, share knowledge, and share the joy of painting this incredible world.”
More information can be found at macrostieartcenter.org/plein-air-events or OutdoorPaintersOfMinnesota.org