The Ohio Arts Council presents "Natural Light: Paintings by Ohio Plein Air Society" from July 28 - October 16, 2011.

Curated by Jane Black from the Dayton Visual Arts Center, the exhibition offers viewers the opportunity to see the rolling hills, wide fields and open skies of this great state through the eyes of 16 Ohio artists. Having mastered the En Plein Air technique of painting outdoors, the artists of the Ohio Plein Air Society have learned to capture the essence of a scene in a way that represents both nature and the individual.

"The landscape of Ohio is vast," said Curator Jane Black. "To the casual traveler, it may seem empty ... but to a painter, it is teeming with possibility. Oftentimes, if one is working from direct observation and with full attention, the most difficult problem is that the scene is so full. Learning to trim to the essence is a large part of learning to paint en plein air."

Artists in the show include: Nancy Achberger (Milford), Jon M. Browning (Columbus), Martha O'Neil Carmody (Cincinnati), Richard Clem (Gahanna), Debra Joyce Dawson (Pataskala), Edie Loechler Dean (Worthington), Mark Gingerich (West Jefferson), Jim Glover (Columbus), Ray Hassard (Cincinnati), Mary R. Holobaugh (Centerburg), Karen Klingbeil LaValley (Westerville), Jack Irwin Liberman (Akron), Paul Reif (Urbana), Mary Ann Sedivy (Newbury), Lori Smith (Mansfield) and Bridgette Turner (Columbus)