PORT JERVIS — In the 1800s Western art was dominated by a few salons and academies, and painting was taught according to tried and true formulas. But English painter John Constable had a radical idea: forget formulas, find the truth in nature, and trust your own vision. 

About the same time a group of painters outside Paris had a similar idea, and painting “en plein air” became all the rage.  Although people had been painting outdoors since the caveman days, nobody had called it painting “en plein air” before.  Recently, plein air painting has become so popular, it’s been referred to as “the new golf”.

The “En Plein Air Celebration” is sponsored by the River Valley Artists Guild and the Barryville Area Arts Association. There is a free reception at the Port Jervis Free Library Community Room on November 12, that will include an exhibit that traces the history of plein air painting through a series of spectacular prints. The display includes classic plein air scenes, as well as examples from the Impressionist, Barbizon, and Hudson River Schools.

There will be a brief presentation by a local expert, Susan Miller. She is also an accomplished plein air painter who will focus on the Hudson River School and Northeast Pennsylvania painters. It all takes place Saturday, November 12, at the Port Jervis Free Library Community Room from 1 – 4 PM.

Also on display from now through November 26 are works by selected local plein air artists from the Plein Air on the Delaware paint out event in Port Jervis including Robert Bradley, Jane Brennan, Mef Gannon, Gene Iovine, Susan Miller, and Janet Poppendieck.