“For the Love of Art,” a group show featuring more than 30 works by members of the Virginia Highland Plein Air Painters, is set to debut at the Joan P. Garner Library on Ponce. Opening on Jan. 11, the show will remain on display through Feb. 17.
Beth Cullen, Director of the Virginia Highlands Plein Air Painters, shared some insight into the group’s rapid growth and expansion. The group first formed in the chaos and isolation that was the spring of 2020. What began as a small gathering of three to four artists hauling their easels, canvases, paints, and brushes out into the parks and vistas of Atlanta has since grown to a whopping 277 artists from across the metro.
I asked Cullen what’s the most fun part of plein air painting, which is the practice of painting while outside in the landscape. “Fresh air, birds chirping, a light breeze flowing, flowers blooming, people stirring – just being outdoors is exhilarating and inspiring,” said Cullen. After 28 years of working in commercial real estate, academia, hotels, and restaurants, she was eager to spend more time outside, and longed to make art with others.
“We also love to engage with the community and answer questions about what we do and how we do it. We’ve had the opportunity to learn so much about Atlanta as well as our state parks. We feel lucky to live in such a beautiful city and we love painting it!”
Over her life, Cullen has experimented with various artforms including metalsmithing, photography, and jewelry, but it was an experimental drawing class that got her hooked on painting and drawing.
One of the group’s most beloved recurring events is the weeklong spring paint out at Piedmont Park. The painters work on site throughout the week, then all the pieces created are available for sale at the 12th Street entrance the following weekend. A portion of their proceeds is donated back to the Piedmont Park Conservancy. “It’s a way for us to build community, paint our city and give back to Piedmont Park, one of our favorite places to paint,” said Cullen.
The group meets weekly to paint somewhere in and around Atlanta, weather permitting, and a selection of the group’s featured pieces can be found at the Virginia Highland Bookstore. The shop showcases new paintings rotated out every few months. They also will return to the Atlanta Bontanical Garden’s Gardenhouse Gallery this fall, where last year they featured nearly 50 works in their exhibit from 25-30 artists.
Their next exhibition, “For the Love of Art,” will open at the Joan P. Garner Library on Thursday, Jan. 11 with a reception on Friday, Feb. 10 from 2 to 4 p.m. Learn more about the Virginia Highland Plein Air Painters group by giving them a follow on Instagram or Facebook where they post details about their upcoming shows and updates.
