PS: Serving Up Top Artists This Month

A couple of years ago I recognized a trend. Some of the top artists are painting in gouache, a water-based medium that looks like oil paint but doesn’t have the chemicals or drying times. When I started with gouache I fell in love, started using it for travel, and wanted to share it with others. So I launched an online training event for artists who want to learn it or master it. Gouache may be the best medium for learning to paint, period. The event is Gouache Live, coming August 20. Seats are filling fast, and if you can’t make the live dates, online replays are included with most tickets, so there’s no reason to miss it. Reserve your spot now at StreamlineArtEvents.com.

What to Do Once Summer Has Passed

Because I live in an area that doesn’t have a lot of colorful trees in the fall, I made a commitment years ago to go somewhere every year to paint fall color. And I’ve turned it into a retreat, one week of painting all day, every day, with meals and lodging included, new friendships made, and evenings spent singing, doing crafts, and just having fun. A lot of us never got to go to summer camp as kids. This is fall camp for adults. I’ve been doing this for 12 years now, and most people come back year after year, but there are always new faces, and they always integrate fast. This year we’re returning to Acadia National Park, one of the most stunning places we’ve ever held the event. I limit it to 100 people, and we’re already more than halfway sold, so this will sell out. You don’t have to be experienced, and no one will judge you — everyone will encourage you, support you, and serve you all week long. Don’t wait until it’s full. Learn more and claim your seat at StreamlineArtEvents.com.

An Unexpected Encounter

Once we’d sold out our China plein air painting trip, someone reached out wanting in at the last minute. They’d heard about it and decided to come, but were too late. So we called our on-the-ground travel partners in China to see if we could get one more seat. To our surprise, they decided to add an extra bus, giving everyone more room and more space for luggage. Not only did that mean they could let the latecomer in, it means we can now open a few more seats on the trip. If you’ve been on the fence, this is your sign. This will be a lifetime memory, painting throughout China, sightseeing, meeting and painting alongside some of the top Chinese artists in the world — an opportunity you’re not likely to get again. Seats are limited and going fast. Learn more and grab yours at PleinAirTrip.com/China.

Eric Rhoads

PS: I don’t keep track of how many people read this. I stopped asking years ago, because I don’t want this to be a metric I measure or a business effort that is designed for marketing. My goal is to serve you with some thoughts to ponder. I do my best to show up every Sunday. If something spoke to you, or if there is something you feel others might benefit from hearing, I appreciate you passing this on or subscribing. And I guarantee you’ll disagree with me at least half the time. 🙂

The Trip I Just Took Blew Me Away

Rarely do I leave here in the summer unless it’s uber important.

Picking the painting locations for our next Plein air Convention at Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks was that important.  

I flew there to meet with park officials, hotels, the convention center, and various vendors to put the final touches on the plan for next May. Both parks took my breath away, more beautiful than my words can articulate. If you’re ever going to attend a Plein Air Convention, this is the one. (By the way, we’ve sold out two hotels already. That has never happened this early, so I think the convention is going to sell out faster than normal. There are several hotels within walking distance that we have as backups).

Fair warning: It’s hard to get to St. George, Utah, our home base, which has a small airport. You can also shuttle in from Las Vegas (about 2 hours) or Salt Lake City (about 4 to 5 hours). Another reason to make those reservations early. Flights and shuttles will book up fast.

You Don’t Need a Car

We have optional buses that are cheaper than a rental car, more fun, less effort, and a whole lot easier, especially since some of our painting locations are pretty far apart. You can chat and make friends instead of driving. I highly recommend it. I’m taking the bus.


By the way, don’t book hotels that are right outside the national park, because Zion is 45 minutes from the convention center and Bryce is three hours away. Both are worth every minute, but you don’t want to have to do that every day.

VIP Options

Some want something a little special. You’ll find our VIP packages are actually a great deal if you include all the things you get that you otherwise would have to buy. This year our Platinum VIP package has a giant surprise.

You can find more about the Plein Air Convention and everything else we offer at https://pleinairconvention.com

What’s Next: Painting and Art Opportunities

This Summer

Gouache Live, in August, one of our biggest events ever. Gouache painting is hot, hot, hot right now, and this is your chance to learn it live, online, from home. https://streamlineartevents.com/pages/gouache-live

This Fall

Last five seats, China Plein Air Trip: I’ve got exactly five seats left before this November’s China plein air painting trip sells out. Join me and Kevin Macpherson as we paint across 16 different jaw-dropping locations, meet Chinese master painters, and tour the country together. Painting most days. Plus touring. Once these five places are gone, that’s it. https://www.pleinairtrip.com/china

SOLD OUT: Collector Trip to Japan with Fine Art Connoisseur: Registration is officially closed, but you can join the waitlist in case someone cannot go. https://www.finearttrip.com/japan

Fall Color Painting Retreat, Acadia National Park Retreat, October: More than half sold out already. A solid week of painting and good company in Maine, right when the color peaks. Join us. https://fallcolorweek.com

Plein Air Live 2026 Online Training Event: Plein air is about more than technique, it’s about learning to see light, form, and color, and the ability to capture the fleeting moment. Plein Air Live brings that whole experience into your home: top instructors, real demonstrations, and a community of painters chasing the same thing you are. Whether you’ve never taken an easel outdoors or you’ve been chasing light for decades, this is where you sharpen your eye.  https://pleinairlive.com

Realism Live Online Training Event: Master the Craft Behind the Illusion. Realism is the discipline every other style borrows from: the drawing, the values, the quiet control that makes a painting look like it’s breathing. Realism Live puts you shoulder-to-shoulder (virtually) with some of the finest realist painters working today, breaking down exactly how they build that illusion, layer by layer. https://realismlive.com

This Winter

Watercolor Live Online Training Event: Watercolor rewards patience and punishes hesitation, and there’s nothing quite like the moment a wash does exactly what you hoped. Watercolor Live is a season of instruction built for painters who want to stop fighting the medium and start using its unpredictability with intention. Live demos, real-time Q&A, and a community that gets just as excited about a good bloom as you do. https://watercolorlive.com/wcl2026

Winter Art Escape Artist Retreat: Bad weather comes to much of the country in February, when you’re wishing you could paint comfortably. Winter Art Escape is designed to let you paint in shorts, flip-flops, and sunshine while others suffer in winter. Details and dates to come — watch this space. Already booking up.  https://winterartescape.com