Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
‘The sword fighting of painting’
Artists get creative at Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park
PRAIRIE GROVE — Members of Plein Air Painters of the Ozarks used the Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park as one of their settings during a recent outing.
The group meets outside every Wednesday at a different location in Northwest Arkansas. Once there, the artists set up their easels and supplies to paint whatever scene they like that day. Some of the artists use watercolor, acrylic paints, oil or pencil.
Plein air painting is used to describe people who take their easels outside to paint. In French, plein air means “open air” or “outside.”
At the state park, the artists were painting in many different areas on the property.
Nadene Kranz of Bella Vista was visiting Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park for the first time and chose to paint the Borden House.
She moved to Bella Vista from Idaho about four years ago and said she likes plein air painting because it is immediate and a challenge.
“I consider it the sword fighting of painting,” Kranz said, noting changes in sunlight on the subject as one of the main challenges of painting a scene.
Dustin Miller of Siloam Springs, a full-time artist and art instructor at Crowder College, chose to paint the valley below the Borden House.
Painting outside is a great way to learn and practice, said Miller, a high school art teacher for 28 years.
“You see everything in real time as opposed to seeing it in a photo. The colors are more accurate and the shadows,” he said, adding “No matter how good the photo is, the color and the shadows are not accurate.”
Like Kranz, Miller said plein air painting is a challenge because everything is changing as the sun rises during the morning.
“You have to accept it and work with it,” he said.
Miller said he likes to paint landscapes, nature, animals and pet portraits. He also does a lot of commercial portraits for people, he said.
He has a studio in his home and sells his artwork at the Bentonville Art Market and the NWA Gallery at Northwest Mall. He also shows at a gallery in Neosho, Mo., called Night Hawk, coffee shops and “whatever will take me,” he said.
Miller comes from a family of artists. His father is an artist, and he said his high school teacher inspired him to study art. Both of his brothers also have art careers.
“Art has been my whole life, and I’m still learning,” he said.