https://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/en-plein-air-crabtree-sunflower-field-inspires-outdoor-painting-session-for-local-artists/
En plein air: Crabtree sunflower field inspires outdoor painting session for local artists
photos: Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Top: Lorraine Free of O’Hara works in a sunflower field Wednesday in Crabtree, painting a scene with a group of plein air painters. Above left: Justin Luther of New Alexandria mixes oil paint. Above right: Art instructor Doreen Currie of Unity paints a scene of sunflowers and fields.
Crabtree, part of Westmoreland County’s rural landscape, is a long way from Italy and its country vistas of vineyards and olive groves.
But it didn’t seem that way for some area artists on Wednesday.
“It’s beautiful; it looks like Tuscany out here,” said art instructor Doreen Currie of Unity while painting a scene of sunflowers and fields during a group plein air painting session.
The group usually meets once a year at a scenic location in Westmoreland or Allegheny counties, and most are studio art students of Currie, who teaches at both the Latrobe Art Center and Greensburg Art Center.
The French expression “en plein air” means “in the open air” and describes the act of painting outdoors.
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