Tag Archives: Monterey

Monterey Plein Air convention Recap

I was definitely impressed by how well organized it was. Despite the amount of participants (over 700) there was never a problem.
Initially, I was a bit skeptical about the size of the event first, but the organizers tried hard to accommodate everybody. The catering company did a tremendous job, there was always food and drinks, so nobody had to go hungry.
The best part were all the great demonstrations by internationally known artists! If anything I come away inspired after seeing the presentations of Quang Ho, Antonio Masi or George Carlson, just to name a few.

Another highlight for me was meeting and spending time with fellow watermedia painters. Many painters whom I admired greatly when I first started out, like Eric Wiegardt! I also met Jean Haines, Michael Reardon, Robin Purcell, Andy Evanson, Georgia Mansur, Stewart White, Francesco Fontana and many others. We all hung out together at night to present a united front against all the oilies! Just kidding! We all got along and a few oil painters even took the time to complement us and admitted their admiration: ‘watercolor is just too hard’, was what I heard more than once!

Painting outside was great fun and there was room for everybody. My job was to also help out, if anybody needed guidance or had a question about how to approach a subject. We carried around flags and wore faculty hats to be of assistance if needed. Overall, I never felt pressured and many participants were experienced outdoor painters who really didn’t need much help.

Next year this event will be held in Tuscon, AZ, a very different environment. I am happy to say that I will be invited again as a faculty member. My presentation on the watermedia stage was well received and my painting in the Atrium exhibition sold!

The 4th Annual Plein Air Convention, Monterey California

Frank Eber

Frank Eber

I am happy to be invited as a contributing artist at the Plein air convention!
This is the fourth event and according to the webpage, it is going to be big:

‘Join over 700 artists for the Woodstock of plein air painting.’

April 13-17, 2015 in Monterey-Carmel at the Monterey Conference Center.

In April 2015, join over 700 hundred painters of all levels, including over 60 of the world’s best, for the 4th Annual Plein Air Convention & Expo on the dazzling Monterey Peninsula. The next event promises to be the best yet, with full program tracks focused around three of painting’s most popular media — oil, water-based, and pastels. You’ll work and play with your favorite painters while attending lectures and demos, and this year, you’ll have more opportunities than ever to paint with them, as we’ve scheduled ample time each day to paint Monterey’s extraordinary scenery.