Paint Out at Columbia Museum of Art's Boyd Plaza illustrates plein air paintings as Impressionists did it

Saturday morning the plaza leading to Columbia Museum of Art's entrance was teeming with art patrons scurrying to see The Impressionists: Monet to Matisse on its last weekend in Columbia. One art lover had driven up from Augusta, GA to see the popular show. Some wandered up from Soda City, the Saturday morning farmers market set up in the museum block of Main Street. To reach the entrance to the museum, patrons meandered through an art scene whose living subjects were  painting in plein air, just as the Impressionists did. So, even before they entered the museum to view master works painted in plein air, they were able to see live demonstrations of how plein air painting works. The artists, painting what was within their immediate line of sight, including live model Brittany Yongue in period attire, generously stopped and answered questions, then continued on with their work. They are part of About Face, an affiliate of Columbia Museum of Art. This smaller, spin-off group goes once a month on a Paint Out, to a pre-selected location where they devote a morning to painting in plein air. Most complete, just in those few hours, a fully-developed painting. When they pack up their paints, brushes and easels, they adjourn and, over lunch, critique each other's work in order to continue growing stronger in their art. For information on About Face, contact the Columbia Museum of Art.