🎨 What I Really Learned at the Plein Air Convention

🖌️ When I arrived at the 2025 Reno/Lake Tahoe Plein Air Convention, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I knew there would be some big-name artists doing demos—and I was excited about that—but I had no idea how much more I would walk away with.

What I learned wasn’t just about how to paint outdoors. It was about the process of painting in general: how to see, how to design a composition, and how to make confident decisions from start to finish—whether I’m set up on the beaches of Lake Tahoe or in my studio.

One of the first surprises was the number of incredible artists present, teaching, and doing demonstrations. At any given time, four different demos were happening: watercolor, acrylic, oil, and pastel, as well as an open class.

This 1200-person attendance conference wasn’t just about painting landscapes or capturing urban scenes. Many of the classes focused on the entire process of creating a successful painting—from the initial sketch to the final details.

Harsh Agrawal uses his reference photo (upper right of his desk) to simplify his painting and to create a story.

Here are just a few gems that really stayed with me:

Every master artist who taught urged artists to create a thumbnail sketch—a small, simple drawing (usually around 3x2 inches) to explore composition and value before committing to a full piece.

Why thumbnails matter:

• They help you test out different ideas quickly.

• You can spot design issues before they derail your painting.

• You get clarity on your shadow shapes and value relationships.

I saw over and over how these tiny sketches became the foundation for strong, expressive finished works. Painting a canvas is no different from painting the walls in your room; you have to plan and execute. I will be doing a lot more thumbnail sketches from here on out!

Here’s a sketch that artist and plein air convention instructor Geoffrey Allen did for me on location! I was so honored!

I know it looks like scribble, but sometimes that’s really all you need. The numbers on the side represent the objects in the landscape. The sky is 3, the mountains 2, and the water and land are 1.

Demonstrating how to structure that composition really helped me to simplify my painting. Of course it’s a good idea to find your values (lights and darks) in your thumbnail as well.

One artist said it best: “Don’t rely on your camera—it lies!”

Instead of snapping a photo and running home to paint, many artists do small on-location color swatches or sketches. The light, the atmosphere, the subtle temperature shifts—these things just don’t translate in a photo.

That really stuck with me. Take the pressure off yourself and enjoy your outdoor painting time by experiencing the colors, shadows, and light.

Make notes, do color swatches and small paintings that you can take back to the studio and use for reference.

Here's a quick painting I did of the Riverwalk in Reno:

A warm and cool of each primary, plus a green and white, was the go-to for many. A limited palette helps:

• Create color harmony

• Focus your attention on value and composition

• Keep your setup lightweight and portable

You can see my palette in this photo and I kept the colors in this painting to 3-4. But I could have brought a smaller palette for sure!

What I didn’t expect was how inspired I would feel just being around that much creative energy. There’s something magical about watching an artist make bold, confident brush strokes in front of a crowd. It made me want to go home and paint—not just for my students, but for myself.

In fact, I’ve already started working on a new collection that’s been living in my head for months. More on that soon! 👏

Coming soon: Part 2 – 5 Techniques Master Artists Use That You Can Try Right Now