Announcing the 3^rd Annual Barrington’s Plein Air Event

A great day to sip and stroll Barrington! Visit the shops and check out outstanding artists as they create paintings outdoors, known as Plein Air, throughout our community—from downtown streets to Barrington Park District. Then join us for a complimentary reception and Awards Ceremony from 6:00 p.m  to 7:30 p.m. at Barrington’s White House where artists will have works for sale.

The Plein Air event coincides with the Barrington Wine Walk from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on October 12th; Barrington’s White House is a Trolley Stop. To purchase separate tickets for the wine walk go to  www.barringtonchamber.com 

What is Plein Air?

Plein Air Painting derives from the French term “en plein aire,” which means “in the open air.”

This manner or style of painting developed chiefly in France in the mid-19th century, is characterized by the representation of the luminous effects of natural light and atmosphere. This contracts with studio painting, which typically uses artificial light and has an absence of the sense of air or atmosphere.

This strong sense of open air became a central feature of French impressionism, which developed Plein Air into an art form. According to the Artistsnetwork.com, the impressionists “desire to paint light and its changing, ephemeral qualities, coupled with the creation of transportable paint tubes and the box easel—the precursor to the plein air easels of today—allowed artists the freedom to paint “in the open air.

“Today, plein air painting is a flourishing trend in our art world. Artists come together for ‘paint out’ excursions, workshops devoted to the practice occur all year-round and cost to coast, and landscape painters are finding that plein air painting is as rewarding and powerful an experience as it was for the first plein air painters all those years ago.”

Plein Air Rain Date Sunday, October 13