Local painting group focuses on creating artwork outdoors

Rain or shine, hot or cold, one local group vows to brave any type of weather in order to create their perfect masterpiece. The Wilderness Painters, a group founded by two local artists, is an organization composed of local painters from around the suburbs who practice plein air (or open air) painting.

Plein air painters are known for going outside no matter what the conditions to do their painting. French Impressionist painters such as Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir advocated en plein air painting, and much of their work was done outdoors.

"The people I paint with, they're all maniacs," Mort Luby, 78, of Carpentersville said. "In the winter we bundle up like we're going hunting. There's a certain pride among plein air painters that we will go out no matter what."

It is this attitude that inspired Ryan White of Elgin and Kevin Hunter of Batavia to begin Wilderness Painters.

While Hunter, 55, teaches graphic design at Elgin Community College he still loves the unpredictable aspect of painting with oils and water colors outside.

"There's always a challenge when painting outside because there is nothing about the situation outside that you can control ... one time I was painting outside and it was so cold my water colors froze on my palette and paper," Hunter said.

Usually Hunter tries to organize Wilderness Painters outings at least once a month. The next outing is planned for Sunday at Cantigny Park at 1S151 Winfield Road in Wheaton. Any artists who are interested in painting outdoors are invited to join in.

Luby loves the group aspect of Wilderness Painters and enjoys going on outings with them.

"It is so much better to paint with someone else outside, you get an instant critique of your work," Luby said.

According to Hunter, if a Wilderness Painters member sells a painting associated with an outing they have pledged to donate 25 percent of the sale to the stewards that take care of that site.

Wilderness Painters has yet to hold a formal art show, but Hunter doesn't rule it out as a possibility for the future.

"It's important to touch base with where you're from ... we're a group that's committed to environmental protection," Hunter said.

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Related links</h2> <ul class="moreWeb"> <li><a href="http://www.pleinairamerica.com/">More on plein air painting </a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>