Waxachie 2006

Paint Out in Waxahachie - 2006 - 2007

In the spring of 2006, the Ellis County Art Association sponsored the first annual "Paint Historic Waxahachie" Plein Aire Event. It was held in historic Waxahachie, Texas, the last few days of May and the first three days of June.

It turned out to be a lot of fun, as several painters attacked the historic sections of Waxahachie, painting the numerous victorian houses, as well as other historic structures sprinkled throughout the beautiful town of Waxahachie. Many of the homes and buildings were built in the last couple of decades of the 19th century. I enjoyed if very much and was able to participate the 2007 "Paint Out".

Some photos of both years are below.

Quick Draw event-07
S.Miller painting the historic Waxahachie courthouse (2007)

Steve Miller (2006)

Artist and friend Ted Clemens "paints the town..." (2006)

Ted Clemens works on a painting during the "Quick draw" event on the lawn of the historic Waxahachie courthouse (2006)

S. Miller starting a small painting at the start of the "Quick Draw" event on the historic courthouse lawn (2006).

• Paint Out in Waxahachie, Texas - 2008
• Image Bearer won best of show in 2008 Visual Arts Society of Texas 40th Annual Visual Arts Exhibition
• Plein Air Ramblings...

The French expression en plein air means "in the open air" and is most used to describe the act of painting outside in the enviroment. It is by far the most enjoyable painting experience. Most who try it once are hooked.

Part of the appeal for painting "en plein air" is the natural light. While painting from photos gives the artist more unrushed time, photos do not capture all the subtle colors and depth that can be observed in nature.

Usually, plein air paintings are done quickly, within a couple of hours and are painted on smaller panels or canvas, rarely no larger than a 12" x 16". The primary reason for the short time and small painting surface is the ever-changing light. Light and shadows will change dramatically in a 2 hours span of time.

You can learn more by clicking here!

What is a Giclée?

Like the long standing European tradition of rendering one image at a time, these giclée images are printed one at a time on canvas. These unique prints capture even the most subtle tints and minute details of the original painting. Giclée prints render deep, saturated color which are as close to the original artwork as is possible.