"ART CHANGES EVERYTHING"
#150: The Plein Air Painting Cure for Kamikaze Doomscrolling
The first Adirondack landscapes were drawn “on the spot” by British officers during the French and Indian War. Travel artists such as William Guy Wall and naturalists such as Jacques-Gerard Milbert explored its margins, but Thomas Cole, Asher B. Durand, and Carles Ingham were the first painters to venture deep into the wild. Jervis McEntee and Joseph Tubby in 1851 traversed the entire region. Edward Pitts documents their journey in his new book, Sketching the Adirondacks: Letters from the Wilderness from Syracuse University Press. Watercolor was the preferred medium of explorers, naturalists, and expeditionary artists, owing to its rapid drying portability. The problem was both paper and pigments were subject to damage from moisture, mold and insects. Painting outdoors in oil faced fewer obstacles after 1841 when airtight metal paint-tubes made it possible for professional and amateur artists to produce parlor-ready pictures en plein air. The challenge was finding subjects untainted by smokestack industrialism. One British tourist visiting Harper’s Ferry described “. . . the smell of coal smoke and the clanging of hammers obtrude themselves upon the senses.” Thomas Cole redacted from his paintings of Catskill Creek the forges and tanneries perched on its banks. The United States Congress recognized the interdependence of public wellness and nature conservancy when it set aside 5,500 acres at Hot Springs Arkansas “. . . for the future disposal of the United States (which) shall not be entered, located, or appropriated, for any other purpose whatsoever.”
A group of landscape painters sought refuge and inspiration in the Parisian exurb of Barbizon between 1830 and 1870. Their campaign to limit logging in Fontainebleau Forest historic woodlands led to creation of the world’s first national park in 1861. Henry David Thoreau feared nature was under threat when he wrote, “. . . nature is doing her best each moment to make us well—she exists for no other end.”
The rise of plein-air (outdoor) painting in the 19th century dovetailed with public wellness initiatives such as the creation of garden cemeteries, urban parks, and protected wilderness areas. North Country sanitariums treated patients with tuberculosis and other ailments with dietary regimes, physical exercise, gardening, and sketching outdoors. Reverend W.H.H. Murray extolled the restorative virtues of wilderness camping. Teddy Roosevelt praised “. . . the hardy life of the open. There are no words that can tell the hidden spirit of the wilderness, that can reveal its mystery . . . and its charm.” People today seek relief from “media fatigue” in Yoga, meditation, hiking, foraging, birdwatching, forest bathing, and alfresco art-making. Wildlife artist Robert Bateman distributed 33,000 free sketchbooks “. . . across the country, asking Canadians to venture outside and ‘become bright-eyed three-year-olds again’.”
Eric Rhoads founded Streamline Publishing Inc. in 1986 as “. . . a true multi-media organization, with numerous digital products and events. The company and its products play a substantial role within two industries: radio/digital radio and the world of art and art collecting.” Its publications and events include the. magazines Fine Art Connoisseur and Plein Air, the annual Plein-Air Convention & Expo, and outdoor painting events around the globe. The 15th annual Publisher’s Invitational Paint the Adirondacks! takes place at Paul Smiths College from June 13-20 of this year. Eric Rhoads was introduced to the Adirondacks when his father was inspired by the 1981 film “On Golden Pond” to purchase a camp (vacation home) in St. Regis Canoe Area. He soon bought a camp of his own. The region was perfectly suited to plein-air painting because, according to Rhoads, “. . . the Adirondacks provide variety. There are places I take groups and hold retreats where we can hit every spot, until there aren’t any more spots to go to. Here you can turn any corner and find a painting motif. And so, we paint from Jay all the way down to Malone, St. Regis Falls and everywhere in between—all within a one-hour radius of Paul Smith’s. There’s so much here that people keep coming back year after year.” Rhoads refers to plein-air painting “the new golf” in which the goal is not scoring a hole-in-one but meeting up with friends, to celebrate nature and creativity. Rhoads believes anyone can benefit from plein-air painting. “If you think you have an interest in painting, but don’t believe you have the ability, just go take a lesson. Do it anyway. I couldn’t draw a stick figure, and today I’ve got work in art galleries. There’s this barrier of what we believe we can’t do, but anybody can do it. Even a bad day painting is a good day painting because you’re being creative. You’re enjoying yourself. You can push yourself if you want, or maybe it’s just a hobby. I’ve taken groups all over the world . . . we have this community where we get to know other people. And then of course there’s making something you can be proud of and share with others.”
Saranac Lake based landscape painter Sandra Hildreth described how the Adirondack Plein Air Festival came into being. “I heard about ‘Plein Air Easton’ festival in the Chesapeake region and thought we should do that here. We certainly have an abundance of beautiful views. I organized and ran the whole thing by myself. 27 artists came to the first one in 2009. Most were local artists. Some had never done a plein air painting. More professional artists took part when became a juried event with prizes in 2017. Our best year was 2023, when we did $58,000 in sales in less than 24 hours. No matter whether it’s just amateurs having fun, or professional artists coming to have an opportunity to paint the Adirondacks, the festival attracts visitors that boost the local economy.”
Local business leaders concur with Hildreth’s assessment. P.J. Hyde & Sons human resources manager Arlene Cowan spoke to me by phone. “Saranac Lake is hugely into the arts,” she explained. “Art brings the community together, and the Hyde family prides itself on supporting the arts and education.”
Franklin County Director of Economic Development and Tourism Philip Hans echoed Cowan’s remarks. “Events like the Adirondack Plein Air Festival are more than just beautiful. They support our artists, bring in tourism, and strengthen our local economy. Best of all, our support is funded through occupancy tax collected from our lodging partners, not local taxpayers. It’s a win for our visitors, our businesses, and our residents. Events like this help showcase the critical mass of activity happening throughout the North County all year long . . . we’re grateful to all the event organizers for helping put our destination on the map.”
Another festival sponsor is Bookstore Plus in Lake Placid. The “plus” includes art supplies. According to co-owner Marc Galvin, “Most people think of the Adirondacks as a place to paddle and hike, but It’s really cool to see people out there painting . . . it’s a different way to experience nature, and it benefits the community.” ‘
Golden Paints manufactures and distributes artist colors worldwide. The Sam & Adele Golden Foundation runs an artist residency program in New Berlin, New York. CEO Mark Golden explained why his company sponsors the Adirondack Plein Air Festival and similar events around the country. “It’s a great way for creative people together to connect with one another, like residency programs . . . a great opportunity to bring artists together, painting outdoors, getting more in touch with nature.”
The Keeseville Community Arts Festival was founded in 2018 by ADKAction. I was curious how a plein-air painting event fit into the mission of a regional nonprofit focused on food security, affordable housing, road salt elimination, and pollinator conservation. According to ADK Action communications director Kristin Hartzwell, “. . . we believe in the power of the arts to bring people together and strengthen communities. What started as a small plein air event has grown into a vibrant, volunteer-led celebration that brings hundreds of visitors to Keeseville each summer. Plein air painting is still the heart of the festival, and for good reason. It helps people see their community in a new light. A local resident recently told me, ‘You know what’s so cool about the plein air festival? You see a painting of something you walk past every day, and suddenly you realize how beautiful it really is.’ That kind of shift in perspective builds pride and a stronger connection to place. This is creative placemaking at work.”
Sharing this process gathers people together to form new communities, nurture well-being and promote environmental awareness. The plein-air revival provides time out from doomscrolling, just as the 19th-century parks movement offered relief from the insalubrious effects of industrial cities. As Eric Rhoads reminds us, “. . .when you start seeing the world through the eyes of an artist, everything changes. . . building a community of plein-air painters working in either professional, semi-professional, or recreational ways has real benefits. Art changes everything.”
—James Lancel McElhinney © May 15, 2026.
NB: An abridged iteration of this article published in the November/December 2025 issue of Adirondack Explorer magazine redacted some of the points I sought to make. Photographs used as illustration were chosen by others. The updated version of that article is published above, including the intended images. (All images reproduced under Fair Use, etc.)
Learn more about Outdoor Painter. Visit the website https://www.outdoorpainter.com
Plan to attend one of the annual plein air festivals in the Adirondack region. Below is a list of venues and events.
Adirondack Harvest Plein Air Festival: Ticonderoga. https://www.ticonderogaarts.org/harvest-plein-air-2024
Adirondack Plein Air Festival. Saranac Lake. https://www.saranaclakeartworks.org/page/37066/adirondack-plein-air-festival
Bell Gale Chevigny Plein Air Festival: Morristown. https://morristownpubliclibrary.org/plein-air-2/
Keeseville Community Arts Festival: Keeseville. https://www.adkaction.org/keeseville-community-arts-festival/
Paint! Adirondacks Publisher’s Invitational: Paul Smith’s College. https://paintadirondacks.com
Plein Air Party: The Adirondack Experience (ADKX): Blue Mountain Lake. https://www.adirondack.net/event/adirondack-plein-air-festival-231430/
Plein Air Plein Air Paint Out: View Art Center. Old Forge. https://www.viewarts.org/experience/experiences/papo/
Great Camp Sagamore Seminars in the Arts: Raquette Lake. https://www.sagamore.org/2025-programs/plein-air
Salmon River Plein Air Festival: Malone. https://www.downtownartistcellar.com/page/39471/the-salmon-river-valley-plein-air-festival-prospectus
Saint Lawrence County Plein Air Festival: Potsdam. https://slcartscouncil.org/art-in-the-open-slc-arts-plein-air-festival-2025/
Tupper Plein Air Festival: Tupper Lake. September. https://www.tupperlake.com/events/tupper-lake-plein-air-festival
