Plein Air Magazine: The Only Publication That Takes Outdoor Painting Seriously
Eric Rhoads built a publishing empire around a niche most people did not know existed: painters who haul their easels outdoors and work directly from nature. Plein Air Magazine is not a general art publication that occasionally covers outdoor painting. It is a publication entirely devoted to plein air, and that single-minded focus has made it the center of gravity for a community of painters that has grown from a fringe revival movement into a recognized segment of the contemporary art world.
Founded in 2009 under Streamline Publishing, the magazine covers technique, materials, artist profiles, events, and the business of selling outdoor paintings. It is paired with the Plein Air Convention and Expo (PACE), the Plein Air Podcast, the Marketing Minute Podcast, and OutdoorPainter.com, creating an ecosystem that no competitor matches. If you paint outdoors and want to connect with other outdoor painters, this is the infrastructure that exists to support you.
What Makes Plein Air Magazine Different from General Art Publications
General art magazines like American Art Collector or Fine Art Connoisseur cover gallery shows, auction results, and studio painters across all genres. Plein Air Magazine covers one thing: painting outside. This narrow focus allows a depth of coverage that broader publications cannot achieve.
A typical issue includes technique articles specific to outdoor conditions (managing changing light, selecting limited palettes for field work, controlling drying time in wind or heat), artist profiles that show process photos and location shots rather than just finished gallery pieces, and coverage of plein air events and competitions that you will not find in any other publication. The magazine also publishes a 2026 Ultimate Guide to Painting Events and Organizations, which is essentially a directory of every major plein air competition, festival, and gathering in the United States.
The oil painting coverage is the strongest, reflecting the fact that oil dominates plein air practice. Watercolour gets solid coverage too, and pastel has a dedicated sister publication, Pastel Today, which covers pastel plein air techniques separately.
The Plein Air Convention and Expo (PACE)
PACE is the magazine's flagship event and the largest annual gathering of outdoor painters in the world. The 2025 convention in Reno and Lake Tahoe drew over 1,000 artists for five days of demonstrations, workshops, and outdoor painting sessions with 70+ faculty artists including Scott Christensen, Joseph Zbukvic, Harley Brown (who received the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award), and Kathleen Dunphy.
For 2026, PACE moved to the Ozark Mountains (May 14-18). For the first time, the convention offered live streaming of all five stages, allowing remote participants to watch 40+ instructor demos in high definition with 90 days of replay access. This is a significant development for painters who cannot justify the travel cost but want access to the instruction.
PACE 2027 is already announced: May 17-21 at Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, based in St. George, Utah, with 75+ faculty artists. The early registration information is available at pleinairconvention.com.
The Podcasts
The Plein Air Podcast features Eric Rhoads in conversation with leading plein air painters about their work, process, and the realities of making a living as an outdoor painter. The companion Marketing Minute Podcast addresses the business side: pricing, gallery relationships, social media, and direct-to-collector sales. Together, these podcasts provide free, regular content that keeps the community connected between magazine issues and conventions.
The podcasts are particularly valuable for painters who live in areas without a local plein air community. Hearing working painters discuss their process and business strategies creates a sense of professional connection that isolated studio practice cannot provide.
The Community Beyond the Magazine
Plein Air Magazine is not just a publication. It is the organizing force behind a community that includes:
- Local and regional plein air groups that organize paint-outs, exhibitions, and competitions, many of which are listed in the magazine's events guide
- The PACE convention community, which functions as an annual reunion for regular attendees and an introduction for newcomers
- OutdoorPainter.com, which publishes daily articles on technique, events, and artist news between magazine issues
- Social media groups affiliated with the magazine where painters share field work and organize informal paint-outs
This ecosystem is what separates Plein Air Magazine from a standalone publication. You can subscribe to the magazine, attend the convention, listen to the podcasts, read the daily articles, and participate in the community events, and each channel reinforces the others.
Insider Tips for Getting the Most Out of Plein Air Magazine
- Start with the podcast, not the magazine. The Plein Air Podcast is free and gives you a fast sense of whether the plein air community is your kind of people. If you enjoy the conversations, the magazine and convention will make sense.
- Consider the PACE streaming pass. At a fraction of the in-person cost, the streaming pass gives you access to 40+ instructor demos with 90 days of replay. You miss the outdoor painting sessions and networking, but the instruction content is substantial.
- Check the events guide before planning your year. The magazine publishes an annual guide to plein air events and competitions. If you want to participate in organized paint-outs or submit work to juried plein air shows, this guide is the most comprehensive listing available.
- Subscribe to OutdoorPainter.com for free daily content. The magazine comes out on a publishing schedule, but OutdoorPainter publishes articles daily. It is the best way to stay current between issues.
- If you paint in pastel, also check Pastel Today. The pastel coverage in Plein Air Magazine is solid, but Pastel Today goes deeper on pastel-specific technique and pastel plein air artists.
Who Is This For (and Who Should Look Elsewhere)
This is for you if: You paint outdoors in oil, watercolour, pastel, or acrylic and want to connect with a community of painters who share that specific practice. You are interested in plein air competitions and events. You want technique instruction tailored to the real conditions of outdoor painting rather than studio theory.
This is not for you if: You are exclusively a studio painter. The magazine's content is grounded in the outdoor painting experience, and if you never paint outside, much of the technique coverage will not apply. You are a digital artist or illustrator looking for community. You want coverage of contemporary gallery art, conceptual art, or art market analysis.
Final Verdict: Who Is This Actually For?
Plein Air Magazine has no real competitor in its niche. There is no other publication, convention, podcast network, or community ecosystem dedicated specifically to plein air painting. If you paint outdoors, the magazine is the primary trade publication for your practice, PACE is the primary professional gathering, and the podcasts are the primary audio resource.
The magazine is not free, and the convention is not cheap, but for serious plein air painters, the combination of technique content, event access, community connection, and professional development is unmatched. For casual outdoor painters who just want occasional inspiration, the free podcast and OutdoorPainter.com articles may be sufficient without a paid subscription.
Next steps: Listen to the Plein Air Podcast for free, browse OutdoorPainter.com for daily articles, and consider a magazine subscription if the content resonates. If you are ready for the full experience, check PACE 2027 registration for the Zion and Bryce Canyon event. You can also explore our communities directory for other painting groups and our art courses directory for plein air workshops.
