Sharing Beauty: The ‘Paint the Desert’ Plein Air Festival Takes Artists Outside

The Artists Council and the Desert Plein Air Association are teaming up for the 2024 “Paint the Desert” Plein Air Festival.

Plein air is the term used to describe art produced outdoors—a technique that became popular in the late 19th century, with the development of tube-based paints and more portable equipment such as easels, allowing the Impressionists to move out of the studio and into the world of natural light and color.

The festival has two competitive parts. Starting on Jan. 11, participating artists in “Paint the Desert” will be invited to a series of workshops, and then to several outdoor locations to paint—with the finished works delivered to the Galen on Jan. 17.

For the second part, a jury will select paintings primarily from Coachella Valley and the high desert for the “Desert Landscape” portion of the exhibition.

All of these works will then be on display at the Galen from Jan. 18 through Feb. 4. Cash prizes will be awarded to winning artists, and works will be for sale.

Diane Moore is the co-founder and president of the Desert Plein Air Association.

“Our mission encourages artists to paint outdoors; it fosters creativity,” Moore said. “Coachella Valley is unique in the world for its variety of landscapes. It’s priceless.”

Elaine Mathews, a well-known local artist, has entered both portions. There are special skills required for plein air, which is “tough,” she confessed.

“The weather can change in a minute; shadows move,” she said. “You’re working against time, and conditions like winds, flies and ants, so you have to work fast, probably within two hours. Many times, I’m not happy with what I paint, but you build up experience. Even so, it can still be a curse.”

Mathews’ techniques include using a palette knife and brushes to create both large semi-impressionistic landscapes and smaller plein air works. She has painted since she was a child.

“My parents gave me a watercolor set when I was 5 or 6 years old,” Mathews said. “I painted illustrations for every letter in the alphabet, and the principal of the school hung them up on the hallways, which encouraged me to keep painting.”

Mathews’ works now hang in the art collections of the Nissan Motor Corporation and Avco Financial Services, and in private collections and galleries. She won the award for “Best Featured Painting” at the La Quinta Arts Festival several years ago.

Kathleen Strukoff, another well-known local artist who has entered both categories, creates artworks in a modern Impressionistic style. She doesn’t just paint in the desert; she also paints plein air on city streets.

“It’s different experience,” Strukoff said. “A lot of people come up and talk to me.”

But painting in the desert is also daunting.

“Painting in the middle of nowhere is overwhelming. … Mother Nature is so big,” Strukoff said. “Out in the elements is challenging, but then you get addicted to it. It’s multisensory—you remember how the sun felt on you, different sounds, birds. You can’t get it anywhere else.”

Plein air paintings are not fashionable at the moment, Strukoff said; abstract is “in vogue.”

“People can interpret abstraction in any way they want,” she said. “It’s open to interpretation and has appeal for designers because it doesn’t alter when trends or fashions change. It goes with anything.”

Even so, the magic of plein air painting holds a fascination for artists who love the region—and love to share the beauty with others.

“When people see what these artists create, it gives them hope and inspiration,” Moore said. “We need it. The world needs it.”

The 2024 Desert Plein Air Festival exhibition is on display from Thursday, Jan. 18, through Sunday, Feb. 4, at the Artists Center at the Galen, 72567 Highway 111, in Palm Desert. The Center is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. For more information, including details on workshops and the competitions, visit www.artistscouncil.com and www.desertpleinair.org.