Camille Przewodek

“I worked with Henry Hinchey, who worked with Charles Hawthorne and worked with William Chase, it goes all the way back to Monet. I was a plein air artist before anybody was doing plein air. I was out there with my easel and people were like, ‘What's she doing’?  Then I started doing some of the first plein air events in California.  I was one of the early ones.

Nancy Tankersley came to meet me in Carmel when she was thinking of starting a plein air. At that time there were a lot of people who were starting to think about doing, plein air events.  I was one of the first artists in this medium. I would give them my input and then they wouldn’t apply it.  Nancy picked my brain, and she really listened to what I was saying.  She asked me to be involved in starting the event. The first year I served as the juror selecting the artists to participate. There weren't a lot of great artists at first and then as the event grew and became better known, we started getting applications from the top plein air artists. And at that point I decided I wanted to do it.

I participated as an artist in Plein Air Easton from 2008-2017.  My husband Dale also a colorist, even joined me and participated as an artist one year. I am still very proud that I was selected as the grand prize winner in 2011 for my painting, “Moonvines”.  I’ve been doing plein air painting for over thirty years with no end in site! 

I had the opportunity to meet so many amazing artists.  Every year I was able to see them and share stories of triumphs and the heat. Without Plein Air Easton I wouldn’t be able to spend time with them.  Plein Air was a gift to me. 

I do remember one year; I was being hosted by a family at a very large estate.  I was packing up my car with my paintings for the final collection.  I was signing and framing them, and I heard this barking.  Suddenly, the family dog jumps into the car and starts running up and down my paintings. I was so lucky as most of them weren’t on canvas and were dry!  But there were a few I had to clean up.  One of the big collectors ended up with one of those.