Plein Air

Plein Air brought together artists following in the footsteps of Monet and Sargent to celebrate the joy of painting outside. Made at a portable easel in the open air, plein air painting has an immediacy that captures the feeling and fleeting beauty of a day spent outdoors, and every work in the show was painted entirely on location, with little or no finishing in the studio. As the weather turned cold, the exhibition set out to reconnect people with nature through small, jewel-like paintings to enjoy all year.

Fifty-three painters sent in nearly 250 works, painted everywhere from Alaska, Montana and Maine to England, France, China and New Zealand. A selection hung in the gallery, Sugarlift unveiled a new display wall for paintings by artists in the US and abroad who could not be there in person, and the full exhibition was also available online. Among the smallest works were Remington Robinson's three-inch oil paintings, each set inside an open Altoids tin on its own small shelf.

The opening reception on October 22, 2020 featured live music by American String Quartet artist Peter Winograd and Met Orchestra musician Caterina Maria Szepes.