On the walls of Alliance Art Gallery at 121 N. Main, in November, visitors can find two plein air/studio artists.

Plein air is French for “in the open air”. This was popularized by the Impressionists in the mid 1800’s after the invention of the paint tube and train travel that allowed painters to get out of the city and paint in nature. These two artists do just that, only by car and not by train.

Guest artist Veronica Brown from Sullivan, Missouri, does five or six plein air competitions a year, the farthest being in New Zealand, sometimes painting on her own and sometimes with fellow painters. These works are done fast to deal with changing light and weather conditions as well as time constraints.