Who we are....
Plein Air Ensemble is simply a group of artist friends who enjoy getting together for a concentrated few days of painting outdoors and sharing their experiences, friendship and laughter. There is no membership fee. We simply recruit PAE trippers, through our email lists and other connections, a few months before each trip. Registrations are accepted on a first come first served basis. Participation is limited, so apply early!
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history of the PAE
"In the beginning three artist friends, Charlie Spratt, Pierrette Dulude Bohay and Andy Lyall got together with the purpose of offering a four-day workshop for plein air artists. The first trip was held at the lodge and condos at Calabogie Peaks in the fall of 1988. It was fully subscribed with approximately 22 artists. The following spring when there was still snow on the ground the second trip was held at a centre called Domaine des Peres in Cheneville, Quebec. The painting trips continued every spring and fall at locations north of Montebello, the Eastern Townships, Charlevoix and Quebec City. Word of the plein air painting excursions spread through recommendation. The group eventually became known as Artists Painting with Artists.
After 13 years the organizing duties were taken over by artists Mette Baker, Deborah Czernecky and Malcolm Cowell, who directed the group for a further 13 years. During that time the name was changed to Plein Air Ensemble to reflect the fact that a number of the participating artists also played musical instruments resulting in many evenings filled with music. In the spirit of sharing the work, Helene Martin and Kirsten Peters next took over the organizing duties for several years, and in July 2017, those duties were handed over to Mary Moore and Tom Lillico, the current administrators. While some of our dedicated members have dropped by the wayside, we all look forward to many more amazing painting trips learning and painting with fellow artists in the great outdoors." Charlie Spratt, (from memory, corrections are welcome) |
What we do,
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