Door County and the History of Plein Air

Door County and the History of Plein Air

Door County, Wisconsin has a long standing tradition of being the home to a world renowned plein air festival and several plein air painters. Plum Bottom Gallery feels very fortunate to feature Stephanie Lord (Door County Resident), Reilly McClellan (Wisconsin), Pamela Grabber (Wisconsin), Tom Smith (Wisconsin), Christopher Leeper (Ohio), Keary Kautzer (Wisconsin) and Sarah Jane Keiser (Door County Resident). 

Plein air was created by John Constable in Britain around 1860 and was fundamental to the beginning of impressionism with popularity for this painting form gaining in 1870 when paint first started being distributed in tubes. Plein air painting in Door County began in the early 1920s by professors from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. At various different times of the year, you can find the painters along roadsides, in county/state parks, and on beaches capturing the beauty of the peninsula. 

On Saturday, August 10 2024 from 11 AM - 3 PM, Plum Bottom Gallery will be hosting our Annual Plein Air Day in celebration of this long standing tradition. Featured artists at this event will include Stephanie Lord, Stacey Small Rupp, and Keary Kautzer. 

Stephanie Lord focuses on impressionistic landscape scenes and enjoys painting interesting buildings, old barns, and architecture. Lord's most recent accomplishment was being featured with several other renowned plein air artists at the Miller Art Museum's summer 2024 exhibit "Expressions of Place". Below is Stephanie's most recent plein air painting titled Morning in Fish Creek. 

Morning in Fish Creek

Stacey Small Rupp commonly doesn't paint in plein air but she will be this year at our Plein Air Day this year! Small Rupp has been painting the Door County landscape for over 30 years and her work captures its "spirit"... fresh, tranquil, and charming. Shorelines, trees, and old barns with wildflowers are some of her favorite subjects as well as the ever changing seasons. Stacey's featured piece is called Ephraim Hollyhocks and is currently available for purchase as our Fish Creek location. 

Ephraim Hollyhocks
Keary Kautzer paints in the American Impressionist style with limited hues to set a mood to draw the viewer in. Living in Sheboygan along the shoreline of Lake Michigan is a main reason why many of his paintings have water related scenes. A fun fact about Kautzer is that he has been painting since elementary school. Kautzer states that "one morning while I was walking to my elementary school, a buddy and I decided to do some chalk art on the sidewalk at a random location. We drew a nude woman on the sidewalk which happened to be in front of the principal's house. The principle was upset and made us scrub the sidewalk clean. I learned that there is an appropriate time and place for art." Below is Keary's most recent Eagle Bluff Lighthouse which was first on display at the Plymouth Arts Center's 29th Annual Juried Art Exhibition Alive in the Arts and will soon be on display at Plum Bottom Gallery.
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