Painters take to the open air for Greensburg Art Center exhibition

Greensburg Art Center is takin’ it to the streets — and the forests, fields and farms — for the “Plein Aire 15601” exhibition opening Saturday at the center, 230 Todd School Road, Hempfield.

Participating artists were tasked with painting outdoor scenes found in the 15601 zip code area, encompassing Greensburg and Hempfield.

The exhibition name comes from the French term, “en plein air,” meaning “in the open air” and referring to the practice of painting outdoors to capture natural light, color and movement.

A free opening reception is planned for 6-8 p.m. Saturday, July 9, with the exhibition continuing through Aug. 26.

Painting in the open presents a number of challenges, said show co-chairs and artists Pat Majcher, Becky Mormack and Marcy Koynok.

Plein air artists have to contend with wind, rain, insects and changes in light as the sun moves across the sky, Majcher said.

“You start on something and it looks completely different in an hour or two,” Koynok said.

Some painters will go out at the same time for a set period on successive days to insure a consistent quality of light in the finished product, she said.

“You have to take a photo in your mind,” Mormack said, noting that some painters will take actual photos back to their studios, though the practice is frowned on by purists.

On the practical side, artists need to remember their sunscreen and make sure they have accessible bathroom facilities.

“A lot of plein air painters go out in groups for safety reasons,” Mormack noted.

Painting in the open air has become increasingly popular in recent years, Majcher said. Though this is the first time Greensburg Art Center has hosted a plein air show, the Latrobe Art Center and Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley have done them.

“Plein Aire 15601” participants were offered a list of suggested sites, including Historic Hanna’s Town, Seton Hill University, University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg and the public buildings and churches in downtown Greensburg.

The co-chairs also secured permission from owners around the area for artists to paint on private property.

Artists also were able to select their own sites.

A couple of the 21 participants bent the rules, Majcher said, to create still lifes inside the The White Rabbit Cafe and Patisserie in downtown Greensburg.

Popular vistas included Woodcrest Farm in Hempfield and the exterior of the Shepherd’s Keeper at Kinderhook, a shop selling primitives, folk art and home decor at 409 S. Maple Ave. in Greensburg.

Each artist was given space to hang two paintings in the art center’s Rowe Gallery. Some painters produced additional works that will hang on the walls of the adjacent classroom.

Many of the works will be for sale, with prices ranging from about $75 to $900, with most in the $200-$300 range. Works purchased from the main show can be taken home when the exhibition closes, while those in the classroom will be sold off the wall.

In conjunction with the show, the center is offering raffle tickets for a basket inspired by French Impressionist painter Claude Monet, including a lantern, cookies, French wine, a gift certificate to the French Express restaurant in Latrobe and other items.

Tickets are $5 each or multiples of three beginning at $10. The winner will be drawn on Aug. 26.

For more information, call 724-837-6791 or visit greensburgartcenter.org.