Evans Brothers to host “Extreme Pleinair” artists’ reception

By Reader Staff

On Friday, April 20, Evans Brothers’ Coffee in Sandpoint will be the venue for an artist’s reception featuring some of the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness “Extreme Pleinair” artists, including painters Ed Robinson of Sandpoint and Aaron Johnson of Moscow and photographers Joe Foster of Connecticut and Marjolein Groot Nibbelink of Sandpoint.

Watercolor painter Aaron Johnson plies his plein air skills atop Vertigo Ridge above Little Spar Lake in the proposed Scotchman Peaks Wilderness. (Photo by Joe Foster, dappstudios.com)

Each summer for the past nine years (with the exception of 2015, when fires kept hikers out of the Scotchmans), Friends of Scotchman Peaks led artists into the heart of the Scotchmans to paint them “from the inside out.” After the first such expedition, the hike became known as “The Extreme Pleinair.”

En plein air is a French term that simply means the act of painting outdoors. It came into vogue during the impressionism movement in France during the late 19th century, when painters like Renoir and Monet moved from the studio outside. The implication is that the artist must work quickly to catch the landscape in a certain light — a pleasurable challenge for some, maddening for others.

“Extreme” refers to the amount of effort the participants exert during the hike as well as the beauty they encounter while in the central wilderness.

Meet the artists (and the hike leader) on the 20th beginning at 5:30 p.m. Preview the art any time before then. It will be on the walls until May 10. Don’t tarry. Some pieces are already sold! The show was hung in the gallery at Evans Brothers April 3.

No host bar and (of course) coffee galore will be on hand. A portion of the coffee proceeds will be donated to FSPW. Light appetizers also provided.

Learn more at scotchmanpeaks.org/events