Plein Air Artists Gather at Historic Chateau for Evanston Made’s Second Annual Mother’s Day Paint Out

Plein air artists gather at historic chateau for Evanston Made’s second annual Mother’s Day Paint Out

For costume designer and visual artist Ben Argenta Kress (MFA ’24), plein air painting is “almost like meditation.” Kress is one of 16 artists who participated in Evanston Made’s second annual Mother’s Day Paint Out, which took place during the day Sunday. The event invited painters to capture the Evanston History Center’s Charles Gates Dawes... The post Plein air artists gather at historic chateau for Evanston Made’s second annual Mother’s Day …

Season of plein-air painting starts

Ben Kress, who won last year’s Evanston Made Plein Air Mother’s Day Paint Out, works on the details of his watercolor at the Charles H. Dawes Mansion. His mother, Joan, drove from Milwaukee to be with her son on her big day. He’s always been creative, she said. “He started snipping paper, drawing, Legos from an early age.” Ben is a costume designer. He likes plein air, or painting outdoors, because, “It’s like you’re reframing the way you see wh…

Art blooms at Dawes House for Mother's Day

Plein Air Paint-Out on the Dawes House grounds provides laid-back atmosphere for artists.