En plein air is a French expression which means “in the open air”, and is particularly used to describe the act of painting outdoors. Artists have long painted outdoors, but in the mid-19th century working in natural light became particularly important to the Barbizon school and Impressionism. French Impressionist painters such as Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir advocated en plein air painting, and much of their work was done outdoors,

The Daytrippin’ show will feature the work of area artists who adventure into plein air to paint the landscapes of the Delaware Valley. These artists include members of Artsbridge, a Lambertville based arts organization and the Rancocas Plein Air painters. This artworks show in Trenton will represet a coming together of the atrists from upriver and downriver of NJ’s capital. These artists often do their work in groups, adding a social component to the painting experience. The Artsbridge group calls themselves the River Rats and travels around Huntington, Mercer and Bucks county in search of fine scenes to render. The Rancocas Valley Plein Air Painters’ are a group of artists who enjoy painting and photographing cityscapes and landscapes on location. Its mission is to facilitate a group environment with a sense of security, support and camaraderie. It began in 2001 and meets regularly once a week beginning early Spring to late Fall. The Rancocas group paints in places like Burlington, Delran and Medford.