“I often tell people that my interest in being part of the plein air community was primarily because of my interest in seeing the United States. Painting is important to me, but a visual smorgasbord is absolutely necessary to stimulate the painting. I’ve noticed that my imagination has grown by following this compulsion, and therefore I’m not having to travel as much now, but still, the studio can be a stagnant place for me; I usually know when it’s time to hit the road again. The three works I chose represent three of my favorite places I’ve had the chance to paint. “Visual Holiday” is a scene in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. It was painted at the 2019 Door County Plein Air Invitational, where I won 1st place with a different painting. “A Welcome Drama” is from Crested Butte, Colorado, where I had a 2 week residency making paintings for the Oh Be Joyful Gallery in 2018. “Blacksmith Yard” is the Best of Show winner from the 2015 Sedona Plein Air Invitational. The painting was from one of the many great vignettes at the King Gold Mine Museum in Jerome, AZ”

— John P. Lasater, IV