by Jean Stern, Director, The Irvine Museum, Irvine, CA

Today, California plein-air painting has found a resurgence among landscape painters. From about 1980, the number of artists who choose to paint outdoors in the manner of their predecessors has increased dramatically...This Renaissance of the California Impressionist style coincides with society's growing awareness and concern for the natural environment. The Oak Group, founded in I986 by landscape painters in the Santa Barbara area, partners with environmental organizations to donate half the proceeds from group plein-air shows to the defense of endangered lands. In northern California, a smaller group called the Baywood Artists has followed the same path, helping to preserve open space in the Bay Area.