2025 plein air artists
ARTISTS ARE LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER BY LAST NAME
Please scroll down to see all artists
Sandy Ackerman
I grew up in a small town on the Mississippi River in Minnesota, spending most days in the fields and woods and on the banks of the river.
This gave me a great appreciation of the outdoors. I never really wanted to be anything other than an artist and studied drawing and painting at the University of Minnesota, the College of Art and Design, Eastern Michigan University and continued to take classes and attend workshops whenever I could. Several years ago, I began painting the landscape on location with other plein air painters. I felt this was the perfect way to combine my love of the woods and rivers with my love of art and I have never looked back. I belong to several Plein Air painting groups and spend summers traveling and painting in Plein Air events. My goal is to bring a bit of the beauty and harmony I find in nature back to the viewer in my paintings.
My paintings can be viewed online at www.sandrasackerman.com
Instagram at Ackerman.sandy
Facebook.
You can contact me through my website or at sandysackerman@gmail.com
Lynn Anderson
Lynn is a contemporary impressionist painter from Grand Rapids. Summer becomes a busy time of painting in native preserve areas and at the beach. It is a wonderful excuse to be outdoor however I do prefer to paint on sunny days with strong shadows and color highlights.
Kurt Bullock
To portray nature on a linen panel with oils and brushes produces a deeper understanding of—and more pressing concern for—the environment we humans so often take for granted and seek to dominate. The best moments come when I feel such a resonance with the natural world that I almost forget I am painting, as though I stand in a circle of stillness, of meditation, of prayer. Rather than replicate precisely what I see, I wish to convey the perceptions the site engenders in me. I consider the process a limitless interpretation of the natural wonderland that surrounds and suffuses me, and the product a visual trace of that experience—one that I trust is genuine though intuited, representative though abstracted.
Barbara Allen Church
I spent my summers on Good Harbor Bay by Pyramid Point. Many of my paintings are influenced by these early years of exploring the beaches and islands of Lake Michigan. I love capturing the up north feel in my watercolor paintings.
A graduate of MSU’s Interior Design program I spent my career at Herman Miller furniture dealerships. Now retired and living in Traverse City I can spend my free time roaming Leelanau County to paint. I am a member of the Old Art Building Plein Aire painters. This will be my first paint out.
Kat Dakota
Self-expression through various arts always intrigued me. In college, my artistic dream leaned towards theatre. Shortly after, I decided a Bachelor’s of Science in TV production would provide a larger paint brush for opportunities – and it did. Writing, producing and editing video content led to graphic and website design and eventually business ownership.
After moving to Suttons Bay, Michigan, I found “home” and the gift God intended me to polish and develop – painting.
Capturing expressive eyes in oil created a response that led to steady commission work in painting pet portraits and individuals. This blessing fuels my desire to grow as an artist through exploration in techniques and subject matters. I aspire to paint figures, landscapes and waterscapes that engage the viewer. I can’t promise one style immerging or sticking, but I do hope you recognize my work because it “speaks” to you.
Visitors are welcome in my Suttons Bay studio to see paintings in progress, other originals and prints for sale. Normal hours are Monday – Saturday, 11:00 – 6pm (sometimes much later). Please come, conversations fuel my creative energy.
231.668.1116
KatDakota.com
www.facebook.com/kat.dakota.7/
@katdakota05
Carolyn Damstra
Carolyn is a Okemos-based painter working primarily in acrylics, and also explores oils and watercolors. She travels frequently, especially to the Leelanau Peninsula, seeking inspiration and the perfect spot to set up her easel. “It is an ongoing act of courage to paint; to not be afraid to load a brush and trust your intuition and experience to guide the outcome. Plein air painting is the ultimate meditative experience of living in the moment for me. It is exciting to hold this conversation between nature and pigment, flow and vibration, and share it with others. My art is inspired by my frequent practice of walking outdoors. This is a meditative, healing practice for me. A Japanese practice called forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku, is about connecting with nature through our senses. Shinrin-yoku bridges the gap between us and the natural world. I welcome viewers to walk through my art in a similar way.”
Carolyn has participated in numerous solo and juried state and regional exhibitions, holds several plein air painting competition awards, and was selected as an Artist in Residence at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Recently, several of her paintings have traveled internationally as part of the Art In Embassies Program, U.S. Department of State, to Fiji, Serbia, and Belgium. She holds a BFA in studio art and an MA in art history, both from Michigan State University.
Visit her website at www.carolyndamstra.com and on Insta @carolyndamstraart
Jeanette Dyer
Following a career in graphic design and digital photo retouching, I have returned to my original desire in fine arts, bringing my art education and experience back to the canvas! I am a lifelong Michigander, and we recently moved to Sutton’s Bay. The Leelanau Peninsula offers endless natural beauty and opportunity to paint all seasons, wrapped in wildflowers, orchards and tall pines surrounded by stunning blue lakes and sandy shores. Plein air painting takes me to a whole new level of appreciation, with new challenges and outcomes at every turn. I use oil and watercolor mediums, always pack both, and decide on the spot which one to use based on time, and weather conditions. It’s a joy to share my vision and journey with you.
Martha Elchert
Is a watercolor artist.
I paint both in studio and en Plein air but I am happiest when painting outside. For me, Plein air painting is the perfect pairing of my passion for watercolor and my love of the outdoors. My watercolors are impressions of landscapes and streetscapes at home or during my travels. I have been fortunate to have my paintings accepted in regional and national juried shows, achieving Signature membership in the New Mexico Watercolor Society in 2018. I am a member of Great Lakes Plein air Association where I serve on the board and as an exhibition chair. As an avid urban sketcher I always carry a sketchbook and travel watercolors. I have enjoyed sketching with USk chapters in France, Netherlands and Texas. At home I am an administrator for Urban Sketchers Traverse City. I am excited to participate in the Gene Rantz Memorial Plein air again this year!
Please see on FB Martha Elchert Fine Art.
Mary Guntzviller
Mary is well known for her transparent watercolor paintings, Mary also forays into oil and acrylic, fabric, sculpture, and resin. She has been published in Quilting arts Magazine, has illustrated a children’s book, and won many awards.
An instructor since 1993, Mary’s primary goal is to instill self-confidence in her students. Her classes are filled with humor, interaction, and demonstrations.
Debra Howard (Sorenson)
Debra has been an artist and adventurer her entire life. She spent her childhood in Miami, Florida, where she first discovered her love an air with color, light, painting, and sailing. She studied at Ringling School of Art in Sarasota, and began her art career in San Francisco, where she opened her first illustration studio. After 17 years as a successful illustrator, she closed her studio to concentrate on fine art painting. “I realized that the career I had found so satisfying was being taken over by the computer. I missed the feel of the brush on canvas.
In response, she provisioned her Peterson 44 sailboat with art supplies, her old dog and her 4 year old daughter and began cruising. After almost 27 years of travelling, sailing and painting aboard, Ling Ling, she has come ashore and has turned her creative focus to painting the Eastern Shore and the Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsula in northern Michigan.
Her introduction to the Eastern Shore came by way of Tangier Island. A tiny, remote island in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay. She lived there for 3 years, as the artist-in-residence and then as the Executive Director for the Tangier History Museum. She accomplished the task of painting a painting a day to document the seasons and changes on this disappearing island. Her work was featured in The American Scholar Magazine. The experience changed her; “I paint now with more energy, passion and immediacy,” Howard says, “which coincidentally reflect the very nature of the island. The island is raw.”
After years of travelling and painting from a sailboat she switched from sailing to camping. “I now travel from April to November exploring and participating in Plein Air events in my little RV trailer with emphasis on northern Michigan.
Debra has been juried into (and won) Plein Air competitions in Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, Maine, Georgia, Delaware, New Jersey, Tennessee, Indiana, Texas, Louisiana and Virginia, including prestigious events such as Easton Plein Air, Paint Annapolis, en Plein Air Texas and Bath County Plein Air. She is a Signature Member of the Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association (MAPAPA), Northport Arts Association, Glen Arbor Art Association, Crooked Tree Arts Center and the Somerset County Arts Council.
Artist-in-Residence for: Tangier Island, VA, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Big Cypress National Preserve, Everglades, Florida and the South Carolina State Parks..
Her work as been featured in the American Scholar Magazine and Plein Air Magazine as well as numerous newspaper articles. She travels through the year, pulling a small RV trailer, competing in plein air competitions around the country and offering art workshops and artists talks.
Logan Hudson
I’m a representational painter working in Northern Michigan, who started painting professionally in 2020. My work consists of primarily oil paintings and drawings of the Midwest. I have found beauty in the simple and seemingly ever evolving elements of this region, both in the landscape and people. Much of my experience comes from plein air painting and working from life. My aim is to represent reality in the most concise and compelling way I can. The result is often a gesture of what I’m seeing.
My work can be viewed at loganhudson.org
Instagram: loganhudsonart
Phone: (231) 493-2260
Email: loganhudsonart@gmail.com
Victoria Jendretzke
Born 1971 in Fort Walton Beach, FL. Received a BFA in Ceramics and Industrial Design from the University of Michigan Art School. Earned a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Children’s Literature from Pennsylvania State. Worked as an elementary art teacher in Plymouth-Canton Public Schools in Michigan for 10 years. Also worked as a Customer Services Manager at The Headley Whitney Museum in Lexington, KY. Worked as a substitute teacher at both the HS and MS level for the Issaquah Public School district in WA. Currently she is pursuing painting as the next chapter in her career.
She paints a wide variety of subjects including florals, landscapes, portraits and abstracts. No matter what her subject color plays a strong role in her work. Her most recent work is primarily acrylic abstract paintings based on photos from her travels and color theory. Frank Stella, Fran O’Neill and Yong Hong Zhong are her main influences. Her work has been exhibited in shows in KY, WA and MI. including the University of Kentucky Arboretum exhibit, the Seattle Artists League’s Salish Sea exhibit, Northwest Watercolor Society’s Waterworks exhibit, Plein Air Washington Artists Little Gems show, Michigan’s 75th and 76th Annual Watercolor Exhibits, the Women’s Caucus for Art Michigan Seeds of Change and Resilience and Grosse Point Art Association Follow the Thread Exhibitions.
I love plein air because being out in nature is meditative and brings me joy. My brain loves drawing the contours of trees, mountains, and flowers. The colors in nature are dazzling and a photo still doesn’t quite capture that level of beauty. The changing light, bugs and weather make it a challenge but the camaraderie of other artist and the joy of seeing what they choose to paint make it all worthwhile.
FB Victoria Jendretzke
Instagram Vjendretzk
Kathleen Kalinowski
Kathleen Kalinowski is a contemporary impressionist painter who is deeply captivated by the light, atmosphere, and colors of the landscape. Her passion for painting en plein air - directly from nature - allows her to fully immerse herself in the beauty around her, interpreting and capturing its essence in her work. Kathleen’s plein air paintings enrich her studio paintings by preserving the memory and poetry of a particular place and time. Her work has earned numerous awards in her 30 plus years as a professional artist and has been featured in publications, exhibitions, and gallery shows. Kathleen has also been actively involved in her local art community, teaching and mentoring aspiring artists. In recent years, she has expanded her artistic exploration to include the landscapes and cultures of Ireland, Germany, Italy and France. Kathleen’s fine art is featured on her website and in three Michigan galleries. Her work is in private and corporate art collections though out the USA.
Website: KathleenKalinowski.com
Instagram: kathleenkalinowski
FB: Kalinowski Fine Art
Judy Kelly
Judy Kelly is a plein air artist devoted to capturing the essence of old farms and rural landscapes. Judy aims to convey the bond between the land and human experiences. Many of her pieces are created on-site, letting the outdoor experience shape her artistic vision. She keenly observes light patterns in her surroundings and simplifies her compositions to evoke a sense of calm. Judy’s underpaintings establish a cohesive color palette, bringing together the diverse elements of her landscapes. The buildings she portrays have their own stories, visible through their empty windows, reflecting the passage of time. She enjoys experimenting with various mediums, including oil, pastel, and watercolor, relishing the creative challenges of both planning and executing her work. Ultimately, her painting endeavors aim to instill a sense of joy and connection in her viewers.
Website: https://www.judykellystudio.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/judykellystudio
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/judy.novak.kelly/
Brant MacLean
I am retired now and live in Detroit with my wife, Marcella. I have been painting for about 25 years now, starting with some community art classes and painting from a model in the 1990s. Later I started painting with the Michigan Plein Air Painters, which really gave fuel to the fire. Plein air painting, and painting consistently with a plein air group has helped me in a big way to become a better painter. My studio paintings are freqently better than my plein-airs because I have the time to analyze and work on my ideas, but the ideas often come from my experiences painting “en plein air.” And the plein air paintings often have a feeling of freshness that is hard to duplicate in a studio. I have learned from painting plein air the differences between photos and painting from life, the things that photos can never capture, and the problems with painting from photos (extremely valuable). I've been forced to find beauty in things that I would not have noticed before, and I've discovered whole new categories of subject matter by painting next to other artists. Plein air painting has improved and maintained my drawing skills, since you have a 2-3 hour window to complete a painting. And did I mention it is fun? It's a challenge for sure, but I can't count the times I have come away with a deep feeling of contentment and pride in capturing something beautiful.
Kim (Kwaz) Mckerracher RN
Kim has been a nurse for over 40 years She took up painting and drawing to help deal with the stress of deaths and burnout “Painting nature and people can bring beauty into our lives To experience God’s creation through quiet reflection with painting, is peaceful and healing to my spirit.” Kim uses layers of oil over acrylic with a palette knife to make her unique creations
KimKwaz.weebly.com
Mark Mehaffey
Internationally recognized artist Mark E Mehaffey is a signature member of the American Watercolor Society; Dolphin Fellow, the National Watercolor Society, Watercolor USA Honor Society, the Transparent Watercolor Society of America; Signature Life Member - and Distinguished Master, Watercolor West, the Rocky Mountain Watermedia Society, the Louisiana Watercolor Society; Signature Life Member, the International Society of Experimental Artists, Signature Life Member and the International Society of Acrylic Painters among others.
Mehaffey has won major awards in juried exhibitions internationally including the Silver Medal of Honor (twice) and the Arches Paper Co Award from the American Watercolor Society, the Beverly Green Memorial Purchase Award from the National Watercolor Society, M. Grumbacher Gold Medal from Allied Artists of America, the Skyledge Award from TWSA, Biennial Award from the 2010 Shanghai Zhoujiajiao International Biennial Watercolor Exhibition, Best of Show from the San Diego Watercolor Society and guest artist for the Salon De L’Aquarelle 2015, Antwerp, Belgium. In 2016 Mark was honored with the new designation of ‘Distinguished Master’ by the Transparent Watercolor Society of America for having over 20 total paintings accepted.
He wrote “Creative Watercolor Workshop”, published in 2005 and it was rereleased as “Creative Watercolor and Acrylic Workshop” in 2013 published by Northlight Publishing. Mark’s latest book, ‘En Plein Air Acrylic’, Walter Foster Publisher was released in 2019. Mark has also created twelve instructional videos. He has appeared in many publications. He was featured in “Masters of Watercolor” written by Konstantin Sterkhov and “Inspirations & Technical Breakthroughs: Secrets from the Contemporary International Watercolor Masters Volume 1” written by Zhou Tianya & Ruan Hoe.
Mehaffey’s paintings are included in corporate public and private collections including Blue Cross Blue Shield and The Arches Paper Co., USA. In 2018 Mark was invited to participate in the International Watercolor Masters Exhibition in Weston Park England. His work is included in the permanent collections of transparent watercolors at the Neville Public Museum, Green Bay, Wisconsin, the Muskegon Museum of Art, Muskegon, Michigan, the National Watercolor Museum of Mexico City, Mexico City, Mexico, Quanhua Watercolor Art Gallery, Zhoujiajiao, China and the Dachong Art Gallery, Zhongshan, China.
Mark is a popular juror, workshop instructor and lecturer.
Sue Quinlan
I’ve loved drawing and painting since I was a kid. I always drew/painted people until the mid-nineties when I got sidetracked by painting outdoors. It’s so much fun being outside painting - it also is a great learning experience painting from life as photos are actually quite distorted with lights/darks, colors and depth of field being portrayed inaccurately. Plus I’ve had so much fun painting outside with other artists.
Susie Quinlan
Lake Leelanau, MI
Barbara Reich
Barbara Reich paints a variety of subject matter, but her first love is landscape. Early instruction instilled in Barbara the intense desire to draw better, paint color with more emotion, and always hunt and study the changing light. With her keen appreciation of the natural world, along with many years spent working on location, Barbara’s insight into the geographical subtleties that characterize Northern Michigan helps her to convey what is truly essential…its spirit.
Website: https://barbarareich.com
Email : barbreich@barbarareichstudio.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011446667340
Melissa A Ringey
I began plein air painting as an art student at Michigan State University, where I would paint along the Red Cedar River. After working in technical illustration and writing and then graphic design and marketing, I now have time to get back to painting. Plein air painting is challenging and fun and allows me to be outdoors and capture a fleeting moment in time. Growing up in Michigan, I am especially drawn to the beauty of my home state.
Graduate from Michigan State University with a BA in studio art, with an emphasis on painting and drawing, and a BA in advertising.
Member of the Great Lakes Pastel Society, Great Lakes Plein Air Painters Association, Michigan Plein Air Painters, Palette & Brush Club of Southeastern Michigan, and Plein Air Troupe.
Stephanie Schlatter
I am a storyteller, telling the stories of the land, the people and the places that resonate in my soul — and, perhaps, in yours, as well. The brush is my pen; the canvas is my page; the finished images are moments and memories frozen in time for you. I invite you to come along with me as we enjoy the vibrant, beautiful destination we call home – Michigan. Let us cherish the journey that takes us there and use paint to preserve the joy it inspires!
Deborah Schlosser
Plein air painting to me combines three things one's Spirit requires, Nature, Creativity and Community. Painting frees your mind and soul, I am grateful for the opportunity to be challenged and to receive and bring joy.
Michael Tavares
I've been painting for most of my adult life. After attending Henry Ford Community College studying art and design l ended up with a career driving delivery for UPS for 40 years. I did keep painting all along. After I retired from UPS I discovered plein air painting and fell in love with it. I've been a member of the Michigan Plein Air Painters for 7 years now and participate in many plein air events. This event being one of my favorites . Please enjoy the art!
Paul Tibedeau
Plein Air painting has been a life-changing event for me. It has introduced me to a whole new group of friends and fellow artists that love the outdoors. There is nothing that can compare to having your easel set up and creating a piece of art in whatever medium you enjoy in plein air. The colors, the smells, the sounds and friends are all part of being a plein air painter. I am always looking for a shimmer of light or an explosion of color somewhere in my composition and hopefully record the moment before the sun changes my inspiration. But that is the fun of being a plein air painter!
My social media contact information is: tibedeauart@gmail.com
Judith Tummino
Judith has spent the last 40 years painting the coasts of Maryland, Michigan and the beautiful landscapes of Italy. Her work is included in collections such as the Dennos Museum Center, the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts and Grand Valley State. Her love of painting continues on as she attempts to capture the essence of the moment.
website JudithTumminoArt.com
Debra Van Leen
It is all about the light. I have always been fascinated by the way light reacts to shape, color and the designs it creates with objects illuminated. Light allows all of us to see the world before us. I feel I can translate that light into a pleasing image to be enjoyed whether of my own invention or a commissioned work.
Growing up in a home filled with art, music, literature, science, and love, I was encouraged to explore and reflect on anything and everything. A large personal library, visits to museums, concerts and plays were a big part of family activities. My inspiration to paint comes from these.
Like many artists I started my career in graphics and illustration with the expectation of someday returning creating fine art. I am fortunate now to be in just that position. As with any profession artists change and grow as their career progresses. With each painting I learn a few new steps for the next creation. I look back to former works to see how my skills have evolved. How my vision, observation, and interpretation have changed, and look forward to using my experience to translate my next vision for my audience.
Animals have are also a favorite subject. I have painted them, both as wildlife renderings or as commissioned works. My life has also been deeply involved with horses, a favorite subject and also one of multiple commissions.
A Michigan native, I have traveled the country for education and employment returning in 1989. Realizing that Michigan’s seasons, lakes, woods, farms and dunes were truly remarkable inspiration for artists, I decided to once again made this state my home. Exploring these natural elements and bringing them to life is one of the my creative drives.
I enjoy painting landscapes of northern Michigan, my home now, and of Greece, my second home. These works are either created on site en plein air, or from my own photos with field sketches and notes.
My artwork has been included in multiple exhibitions and has received awards in local, regional and national competitions. My work is held in private and institutional collections in the US and abroad. I have held board positions on several local and regional art associations.
Debra A. Van Leen
Jenny Vaughn
I’m excited to be participating in the 2023 Northport Plein Air Paint Out for the first time! I am a watercolor artist and life-long Michigander who is very happy to be spending some time in beautiful Northport for this event. The amazing beauty of Michigan’s outdoor spaces caused me to fall in love with watercolor many years ago. I love how the layers and transparency of watercolor lends itself to landscapes and shorelines.
At home in Trenton, I paint in my studio and along side other local plein air painters who inspire me. Two years ago I founded a non-profit Artist in Residence Program created in memory of my son, Jordan. The program was created to honor his memory and continue his artistic legacy. The vision of the program is to promote and strengthen a diverse culture of art in the community by fostering a creative, supporting environment for local adult emerging artists to develop new work and creatively explore new ideas in a safe and inclusive environment. All proceeds from the sale of my art helps fund this program and continues to inspire me.
jvaughn5@yahoo.com
@jennyvaughn34
https://www.teadoneartistinresidenceprogram.com/
Tina Vivian
Tina Vivian is a fifth generation Michigander. She graduated from Alma College with a BFA in Drawing and Printmaking in 1994 and from Central Michigan University in 1998 with an MFA in Printmaking. In 2020 Tina retired from Alma College where she served as the costumer for the Theater and Dance Department for twenty years. For the past two years Tina has been enjoying the exploring the world through plein air painting.
David Westerfield
Michigan resident David Westerfield was a career graphic designer and illustrator. He now pursues his love of painting both in the studio and on location, regularly traveling to favorite spots in Michigan, California, Florida, and Hawaii.
www.westerfieldstudio.com
www.facebook.com/david.westerfield
www.instagram.com/davidwesterfield
david@westerfieldstudio.com
Pamela Wilburn
As an Artist, Mother Nature usually provides me with all the inspiration I need; with her ever changing subtleties and unbridled fury. I find a need to share the essence of these experiences through impressionistic landscapes. Watercolor is my preferred medium because of its luminosity, transparency and unpredictable nature. Painting en plein air is my preference as it puts me in the center of the swirling elements and atmosphere. My mind sees more clearly and I become one with the surroundings that I am painting. When Michigan weather prohibits outdoor painting, I retreat to my studio.
I hold a bachelors degree in Art Education and have spent many years as a graphic artist and an art educator, before becoming a full time artist. I belong to several watercolor organizations and have signature status in the Michigan Water Color Society and the International Society of Experimental Artists.
PamelaWilburn.com
Facebook: Pamela Wilburn
Cynthia Yates
Cynthia seeks to record the natural beauty in Michigan and nearby states, often focusing on this region's fascinating waterways, flora, fauna and accompanying built environment. Her plein air paintings primarily are done in her life long painting medium, water color, or occasionally in acrylics or oils. In addition to plein air painting events, she exhibits with Great Lakes Plein Air Painters Association, Michigan Water Color Society, and local juried shows such as those at Lawrence Street Gallery in Ferndale, and at the Birmingham Community House's Our Town exhibit.
Lisa Marie Yontz
Plein air painting allows freedom from overthinking while demanding forward progress. Both the art and the artist are infused with energy. I endeavor to be inspired by nature to create a painting I love whether abstract or traditional. This is why I enjoy plein air.