Plein Air Convention and Expo in Las Vegas

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm one of about 30 artists who have been invited to demonstrate and teach at the very first Plein Air Convention & Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, April 12-15.  The artists include such luminaries of the plein air universe as Scott Christensen, Clyde Aspevig, Matt Smith, Jeremy Lipking and Ken Auster.  I'm honored to have been invited and excited to be in their company.  If you're coming out, you should be excited, too.  The event is an all-you-can-eat plein air buffet!

There'll be plenty of events to attend, but I'm looking forward to the painting sessions at the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. To minimize traffic in the conservation area, the Expo's organizers (Plein Air Magazine) have thoughtfully arranged for buses to take participants in.  Once there, you'll get to pick and choose whom to watch, and you can watch as many of us as you wish. But in addition to painting, there'll be formal demonstrations and lectures plus keynote events with John Singer Sargent expert Richard Ormond and California Impressionist historian Jean Stern, among others.

Although I haven't been to the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, it sounds like it'll be a really great area to paint in.  Here's a little about the area from the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) website:

Red Rock Canyon was designated as Nevada's first National Conservation Area.  Red Rock Canyon is located 17 miles west of the Las Vegas Strip on Charleston Boulevard/State Route 159.  The area is 195,819 acres and is visited by more than one million people each year.  In marked contrast to a town geared to entertainment and gaming, Red Rock Canyon offers enticements of a different nature including a 13-mile scenic drive, more than 30 miles of hiking trails, rock climbing, horseback riding, mountain biking, road biking, picnic areas, nature observing and visitor center with exhibit rooms and a book store.

The unique geologic features, plants and animals of Red Rock Canyon NCA represent some of the best examples of the Mojave Desert. One million visitors each year enjoy the spectacular desert landscape, climbing and hiking opportunities, and interpretive programs sponsored by the BLM.

The conference will be based at the Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa just outside of Las Vegas, and they have a special rate for participants.

It'll be a great time.  I hope to see you there.