GREAT FALLS — On the grounds of the C.M. Russell Museum in Great Falls on Sunday, the Arts Association of Montana hosted a free plein painting event.
En plein air, or plein air painting, is the act of leaving the art studio and painting outdoors.
The Arts Association of Montana is a non-profit organization that promotes appreciation, awareness and enthusiasm for all art forms in the Treasure State.
The organization offers workshops to the public with plein air outings and day trips to encourage artists to grow through education.
The Arts Association of Montana sponsors three senior high school students each year that are awarded the Val Knight High School Scholarship.
The plein air painting event at the C.M. Russell Museum was free to attend.
“This is to encourage art,” said Joy Staelens, President of the Arts Association of Montana. “I don’t know about anybody else but I have really with this whole Covid thing...it’s just been a big bundle, I have not really made a whole lot of art over the last year and a half so until I started doing this, and now I’m on, like painting eight for the year, so just to encourage people to get out and make art, to encourage people to appreciate nature and your everyday surroundings. There’s so much beauty we walk past every day without even seeing it, or noticing it or caring about it and there’s no reason for that. Every day of everyone’s life should be covered in beauty.”
General meetings for the Arts Association of Montana take place on the 2nd Tuesday of the month from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and are open to the public. Each meeting showcases a local artist and their work.
Click here to visit the Arts Association of Montana website.
