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I attended the American Impressionist Society's National Juried Exhibition opening reception at Richland Fine Art in Nashville, Tennessee, in October. The show has just ended but you can still see it, along with all the award winners, online at www.americanimpressionistsociety.org. My painting, "Solitude" was included in the show. Many thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make the show and the reception such a wonderful experience. It was so much fun to see so many artist friends again and to meet so many who I've previously only known from their work and online (here are some of us in the picture below). Well deserved congratulations to all the award winners! I will be uploading images from this show and several others on my public Facebook fan page, Debra Groesser Fine Art. You don't need to have a Facebook account to view the photos. I hope you will check them out!

This is my "quick draw" painting from the Laguna Plein Air Invitational in Laguna Beach, CA, in October 2010. We had two hours to finish our paintings, then frame them and get them to the Laguna Art Museum to be auctioned off. This "Quick Draw" competition was especially challenging because of the light drizzly mist falling during most of the two hour time period. I was happy to find these wonderful warm colored rocks which contrasted so beautifully against the cool steely gray/blue/green water. The waves crashing up every few minutes added so much to the scene.

This painting was created during the Laguna Plein Air Invitational in Laguna Beach, California in October 2010. It was a challenging week weather-wise. I spent quite a long time searching for sunshine, but this moody scene, with the fog drifting in captured my attention and drew me in. Here is the photo of the actual scene...

I chose to do quite a bit of editing. I felt that leaving out all the fencing and several of the poles, etc. made for a better composition and improved the feel of piece. There were several comments from local residents that by editing as I did, it gave the painting the feeling of what the canyon looked like several years ago, before so much development occurred there...I liked that! 

This piece was painted during the Laguna Plein Air Invitational in October 2010 and was sold during the event. This scene is along Laguna Canyon Road on the way into Laguna Beach, California. I first saw it on my way into Laguna Beach from the airport. The light and atmosphere were so beautiful in the canyon...and the colors were amazing. The hillside and the tops of the trees just glowed! I prayed that the light conditions would be similar at least one day during the event so that I could paint this and thankfully my prayers were answered! Here it the photo of the actual scene...

When you compare this photo to the painting, you can see the differences in color and lighting. This is why I love painting "en plein air" (outdoors, on location). You lose so much of the color in a photograph that is actually there in nature. The shadows are much darker in a photo. In life, they are lighter and full of color.  

This piece was painted (and sold) during the Laguna Plein Air Invitational in Laguna Beach, California, in October 2010. The scene is Heisler Park...on what was one of only two sunny afternoons during the whole week of the event. I loved the rhythm and design created by the palm trees on top of the cliffs, and the beautiful cool turquoise of the water against the warm colors of the cliffs. As the day went on, the water became darker, but I chose to leave it as it was when I started the piece. One of the challenges of working "en plein air" is resisting the temptation to "chase the light" and change the painting as the conditions change. 

   I was absolutely thrilled to be invited to take part in this year's Laguna Plein Air Invitational in Laguna Beach, California. The event was held from October 10th through 17th, with the exhibition at the Laguna Art Museum. To be included in an event with such renowned artists as Calvin Liang, John Burton, Ken Auster, Jason Situ, Michael Situ and many others, being able to get to know them and paint alongside them, was a huge honor. The weather wasn't cooperative during most of the week...only saw the sun a couple of times. There were several cloudy, foggy, misty days...not my favorite conditions to paint in...but I was able to complete six paintings and sold four of them. I'll do separate posts for each of the paintings, including the two hour "quick draw" piece. The volunteers and staff at the Laguna Art Museum did a fantastic job with the exhibition and taking care of all of the artists throughout the week (thanks to you all for the scrumptious breakfasts and lunch!). Above is my artwork at the beginning of Sunday's reception at the Museum. One of the things I most enjoy about the plein air events is meeting so many great people, from the volunteers and staff, to my host family, fellow artists, new collectors and new friends. It's a joy to be able to share and educate people about the process of creating my work...and hopefully inspire some along the way!

    The American Plains Artists (APA) National Juried Exhibition is being held at the Great Plains Art Museum, 1155 Q Street, Lincoln, Nebraska through November 28th, 2010. I was pleased to see the show and attend the opening reception on October 1st.  Many members of the APA from across the country were in attendance (as seen in this photo) as well as Allan Duerr, co-publisher of Art of the West, the awards juror. The caliber of the work was outstanding...I certainly didn't envy the job that Allan had to do in deciding on awards! I was honored to have two of my paintings included in the exhibition, "Hill Country Farmstead" and "Ol' Giovanni", both 11x14 plein air oil paintings. The entire exhibition, including photos from the opening reception can be seen at www.AmericanPlainsArtists.com. If you happen to be in the Lincoln, Nebraska, area, I highly recommend seeing the show! Many thanks also to the show organizers for planning an enjoyable day on Saturday, October 2nd, including a lecture by Allan Duerr, a visit to the Bone Creek Museum of Agrarian Art (www.bonecreek.org) in David City, NE, and Makovicka Winery (www.makovickawinery.com) in Brainard, NE.