En Plein Air is the term applied to artwork created by an artist while in the actual environment being depicted as opposed to work generated while in an indoor or studio space. An artist is aware of and affected by the ever changing weather conditions, the lighting, the time of day, the natural elements in their surroundings, as well as by sounds created as they work in their medium of choice, be it birdsong, the voice of a fellow artist nearby, perhaps the sounds created by passing cars, or conversations with curious passers-by. All this results in an immediacy in the work. Plein air has long been a tradition among artists in the Adirondacks, dating back to Winslow Homer, and has been carried on by many succeeding generations of local artists

A reception will be Friday, Jan. 10 from 5 to 7 p.m. for the artists.

The group is flexible in its makeup. It includes fairly new painters who have always wanted to try painting en plein air but weren’t sure how to approach it, as well as seasoned veterans always willing to share and help. It is made up of both year round residents and seasonal ones. They work in watercolor, oil, and pastel, and other mediums are welcome.

The structure of the group is very informal. They meet every other Wednesday from June through the end of October. Participants propose possible places to paint, and the site is agreed upon by consensus. One person takes responsibility for the chosen location for each session. Times are flexible as artists come and go during the day.

Some of the places depicted in the show are as diverse as from atop Whiteface Mt. to the long view from Grandpappy’s Adirondack Barn in Wilmington, from Heaven Hill in Lake Placid to the Rail Trail in Saranac Lake and as far afield as Fern Lake.

Plein air painters need to plan the logistics as to what equipment they need and can comfortably carry to the spot where they intend to work, how long they intend to be out, and what their personal needs and physical abilities are. Some don’t think much of hiking in a few miles or paddling out to a favorite site while others park their cars right next to where they have found a vantage point.

Altman writes, “There is a certain joy and enthusiasm to be found not only while painting out of doors but also to be sharing the experience alongside fellow artists. It is that incentive to get out and paint and to be with other artists that sparked the founding of our painting group two years ago.”

Participating artists are Jacqueline Altman of Lake Placid and Devon, PA; Bernadine S. Brooks of Lake Placid; Nancy Brossard of Lake Clear; Ann Haskell of Paul Smiths and Long Island; Sandra Hildreth of Saranac Lake; Harriet Kline of Keene Valley and Norristown, PA; Judy Kornfeld of Lake Placid and Philadelphia; Lynda Mussen of Peru, N.Y.; Leigh Ann Smith of Saranac Lake; Ingrid Van Slyke of Lake Placid; Diane Wainwright of Wilmington; and Susan Whiteman of Saranac Lake.

The Adirondack Artists Guild is a cooperative retail art gallery representing a diverse group of artists residing and working in the Tri-Lakes region of the Adirondack Park. The gallery is located at 52 Main St, Saranac Lake, 518 891-2615. Winter gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays. The Guild is on Facebook, Instagram, and on the web at www.adirondackartistsguild.com.