For Native Azalea Day, 30 artists from Asheville Plein Air Painters were on site in the Azalea Collection to create a variety of gorgeous art. Over 400 visitors, including 34 ecoEXPLORE families, visited the Azalea Collection to see the azaleas in bloom and watch the artists work.
“En plein air”, a French phrase which translates to “in the open air“, refers to the creation of art, often painting, outdoors. While artists have long drawn inspiration from nature, this approach became especially popular in France in the 1800s when new technology in art supplies (such as mixed paints in tubes and portable easels) became available. In the tradition of renown artists like Monet and Renoir who celebrated and captured the ephemeral quality of natural light, the Asheville Plein Air Painters meet twice a month for “paint outs” around Asheville, capturing natural and urban scenes alike.
Read on to see some of the paintings from Native Azalea Day.
Lit by Brent Adams
James Cassara
Azaleas at the Arboretum by B Adams
Catherine Twomey
Coleen Hester
Yossi Daboosh
Sandy Moore
Sandy Moore
Sandy Moore
Michael Moon
Cynthia Llanes
Thank you to the artists for sharing their work with us. For more information, visit Asheville Plein Air Painters .