The Tricks of the Trade of Plein Air
Have you wanted to paint “en plein air” (outdoors from life) but didn’t know where to begin?
Have you been painting outdoors but struggle or feel you’re missing something?
Do you have questions about equipment used or maybe how to travel with your plein air equipment? Are you curious about the benefits of painting en plein air?
Or maybe you’re curious about plein air competitions?
Come to Heartland Art Club’s BS Saturday, “The Tricks of the Trade of Plein Air”. We have four experienced plein air painters; Gino Santa Maria, Kathy Morrison, Allen Kriegshauser, and Veronica Brown, ready to discuss the “Tricks of the Trade”, their experiences, and answer your general questions about plein air painting.
When: August 1, 2026, 1:30PM to 3 PM
Limited to 30 participants.
Location:
The Galleries at Heartland Art Club
101A West Argonne
Kirkwood, Missouri 63122
About Gino Santa Maria
Saint Louis based artist, Gino Santa Maria, is a representational oil painter with a passion for exploring the transformative effects of light and color in the world around us.
Born in Peru, he showed a strong inclination for painting since childhood. Though later trained as an engineer, he knew that pursuing art was his true passion.
His work reflects the beauty found in the breathtaking views of nature as well as in the small, mundane things. His paintings consist primarily of landscapes, portraits, still lifes and urban depictions.
He views nature as a reflection of God’s character, so he has a deep connection with the great outdoors. When Gino is not working in his studio, he can be found painting on location en plein air where he makes small studies for larger pieces.
His work adorns the walls of private and public collections around the world, such as Baltusrol Country Club in Springfield, NJ and Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.
email: gino@ginosantamaria.com
https://www.ginosantamaria.com
About Allen Kriegshauser
Allen Kriegshauser was raised with a strong sense of competition, but it became clear early on that a career in sports or music was not in the cards. Instead, he found both solace and recognition through drawing. At the age of 13, he began painting landscapes in oil—a medium that resonated with him and has remained his passion ever since.
Following his academic studies at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Allen continued his artistic training at the Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI), where he refined his drawing and painting techniques and earned a BFA.
With over 50 years of experience, Allen is a nationally recognized painter, celebrated for his expressive use of color and compelling compositions. His work has been featured in Plein Air Magazine, Arts in America, PBS programs, radio interviews, and numerous other publications.
For the past 20 years, he has actively competed in 6–9 plein air events annually across the country. Recent events include Bath County Plein Air, Paint Grand Traverse, Solomons Island Plein Air, Easels in Frederick, Plein Air Texas, and many others. When not competing, he serves as a judge for plein air competitions and teaches workshops.
Gallery Representation:
• Warm Springs Gallery – Bath County, VA
• Grafica Gallery – Webster Groves, MO
• Heartland Art Club – Kirkwood, MO
About Kathy Morrison
Kathy’s love for painting started nearly 50 years ago, at the age of 10, when she begged her parents for private oil painting lessons. Her art instruction continued through high school and college years where Kathy learned a variety of mediums including pastel and watercolor. Painting was just a hobby until Kathy discovered her passion for Plein Air after taking a workshop roughly a decade ago. A few years later she began competing in Plein Air events and found her “tribe” of like-minded painters. In 2021 Kathy switched her focus to watercolor and has been practicing and competing primarily in this medium since then, occasionally returning to her roots in oils.
Kathy lives in the Midwest with her husband, Tom and their 3 dogs.
About Veronica Brown
“You can learn a lot of important life-lessons around the farm that apply to creating art as well, one of them being always get back on the horse if you get thrown, don’t give up when life or painting throws a curve at you.”
Veronica grew up in rural Missouri where the roads were still gravel, kids learned the value of having farm animals and being responsible for their care, and there were always adventures to be found outdoors, many of which included horses.
Since she was a small kid, she has been driven to create and has done so via a lot of different means and media. It wasn’t until she started taking oil painting classes in 2002 that she felt she’d finally found “her” medium and it wasn’t until life changes in 2020 that she made the committed leap from the corporate tech world to being a full-time artist. She is excited about color, light, pattern and shape, as well as certain subject matter and the memories that it evokes from her childhood.
Veronica strives to show the viewer that the eyes of both man and critter can show a personality, that lighting can be everything, and that there is a vast amount of subtle, often unexpected color in nature. For example, a white horse is not just white, nor is a black horse just black. “This world has so much beauty but not all of it screams for attention, causing it to often be overlooked. Through painting, I want to show how beautiful the ordinary can be. I want to paint a moment, or capture a feeling and not an exact copy of what is before me. By painting this way, I hope to invite my viewer to come and take a walk in my boots, and see the world through my eyes because this life is pretty amazing.”
email: veronica@veronicabrownart.com