20th Annual Frank Bette Plein Air Paintout
July 28-August 2
​The Frank Bette Plein Air Paintout hosts up to 40 juried artists for a week of painting tree-lined streets; stately Victorian homes and shops; picturesque marinas; historic naval ships and naval air station; as well as beaches, lagoons, parks, and San Francisco and Oakland skylines in the island city of Alameda, CA. The week includes a welcome reception, a luncheon and a quick draw and an outdoor exhibit and sale of all the paintings on Saturday. A selection of the unsold paintings from the sale are exhibited and for sale in the Frank Bette Center for the Arts Gallery through September.
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Chasing the Light by Steve McDonald
2025 Juror
RICHARD LINDENBERG
My truth lies somewhere between a life well lived thus far... and the dreams of what can still be.
The discovery and joy of painting came to me quite late in my life path, but not unexpectedly. Landscape photography was my chosen creative medium for thirty years after attending Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara. Large, medium and small format cameras... using primarily black and white images and the magic of polaroid transfers on watercolor paper. Most of my adult career was spent as an entrepreneur importer and graphic designer. Then in 2006 I became more heavily involved in the art industry as the product manager for Savoir Faire, the exclusive importer of Sennelier fine art materials where the history from the French manufacturer opened my eyes to the impressionist era and to art materials in general. Eight years as the volunteer Co-Chairman of the California Art Club Bay Area Chapter, now retired. In 2010 I became part of the newly revived PleinAir Magazine as their Marketing Manager for Vendors/Suppliers and have since retired Aug. 2019. Recently awarded Signature Artist status with the Laguna PleinAir Painters Association.
In 2001, after taking a painting class in soft Pastels to enhance my Polaroid transfers…I was swept away by the possibility of actually being able to paint. After years of painting landscapes in pastel, my passion now is painting the landscape en plein air exclusively with oils.
Painting is a friend that always brings me great joy and peace. I paint primarily because it constantly allows me to open my heart. The little moments looking out a car window at an extraordinary sight, or seeing the way a strip of late afternoon light streaks across the meadow. If my paintings can allow the viewer access into a world that is always present, but often taken for granted… then I have contributed something.