Book

Plein Air Registration & Lodging

Registration

Pre-Registration & Final Registration Defined:

  • Pre-Registration: Online Pre-Registration is required for all so we can share details to help you prepare for the Competition in September. Note: Pre-Registration does NOT guarantee a place in the competition. Final registration must be completed once you arrive in Big Bear where your blank substrate/s are stamped.

Pre-Registration Open!

  • Final Registration: All Final Registration takes place during the month of September in Big Bear at the Big Bear Lake Visitor Center located at 40824 Big Bear Boulevard. Final Registration is open daily from 9 AM - 5 PM.

Final Registration Requirements

  • Payment of $35 Registration Fee
  • Sign Competition Rules and Release of Liability
  • All blank substrates (canvas/panel(board)/paper) must be stamped PRIOR to painting.
  • No unstamped art will be accepted.
  • You may have ten (10) blank substrates stamped but no more than one (1) can be submitted for the competition.
  • Once your final registration is complete you will receive an email confirming your place in the competition.
  • If you are booking subsidized lodging you will need this email as proof of enrollment for your lodging host to honor the cleaning fee refund and special pricing.

Review Competition Rules

Subsidized Lodging

We understand that booking lodging for special events can be challenging. Plein Air is extending a helping hand to our contestants to simplify the travel process. All rental homes in the subsidy program have agreed to these terms:

  • No Cleaning Fee - Please note: At reservation, you will be asked to pay the cleaning fee. This is refunded once you arrive in Big Bear and provide your Rental Host with your email confirmation of final registration.
  • Each qualified attendee can utilize one (1) Cleaning Fee Rebate
  • $125 per night, 2 Person Maximum, 2 Night Minimum

Qualifying for Subsidized Lodging

To qualify for subsidized lodging you must reside outside these zip codes.

Lodging taxes will apply as well as any rental terms required by the Host - i.e. rental contract, refundable deposit, cancellation policy, etc. Each property owner will have their own rental requirements with reasonable expectations. The monetary agreement is firm.

If you wish to visit Big Bear more than one time, you are welcome to reach out to your Rental Host. If available, they will offer the same low nightly rate but would require a cleaning fee.

Please complete the Pre-Registration process to verify you qualify for the subsidized lodging. Once you complete this process you will receive an Email confirmation which will include available Listings that have agreed to the discounted pricing.

Diane McClary - Bio

EDUCATION

  • Bachelor of Arts Degree, University of Washington, Seattle, Major: Art Ed., 1966
  • Studied with Ron Lukas, Sergei Bongart, Del Gish, Sonny Apinchapong, Ovanes Berberian

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

  • Instructor and Demonstrator, Martha Lake Gallery and Studio, and numerous art associations in WA and CA, 1995 to present
  • Instructor: Palm Springs Art Museum
  • Instructor: Frye Art Museum, Seattle 1995
  • Instructor: Puget Sound Art League, City University, Bellevue, WA, 6 years
  • Public school elementary teacher, Bothell, WA. All subjects, art emphasis. 10 years

AWARDS AND EXHIBITS

  • 2012 Exhibition at the LaQuinta Museum, LaQuinta, CA titled "Creativity in the Cove" - painting chosen for poster
    2012 Participated in Plein Air Painting Competition at Lake Arrowhead, CA - Awarded Honorable Mention
    2012 Plein Air Paint El Paseo, by invitation
    2012 Paintings Joshua Tree in Blook and Canterbury Bells commissioned for the Joshua Tree Natioanl Forest Desert catalog
    2012 Painting Palo Verde in Bloom was juried for the Poster to represent the Coachella Wild Flower Festival
    2012 Desertscapes, A Sense of the Place, invitational show of plein air paintings at the College of the Desert, Palm Desert
    2011 Palm Springs Art Museum Artist Council Exhibition
    2011 Desert Activity Guide, "God's Creation" selected for cover
    2011 Art in Bloom at the Palm Springs Art Museum - painted and donated a 24x30 painting of fresh flowers -
    2011 La Quinta Arts Foundation selected Diane's paintings for a benefit art show at Chico's dress shop
    2011 Palm Springs Art museum - painting demonstration and donation of large floral painting to museum
    2011 La Quinta Arts Festival exhibitor - juried into show in the original paintings category
    2011 Selected artist to model and exhibit work, La Quinta Arts Foundation benefit at Chico's, La Quinta
    2010 Wildflower Festival Invitational Exhibit, San Jacinto National Monument Visitor Center
    2010 Borrego Springs Invitational Plein Air Painting & Exhibition, Borrego Springs, CA
    2010 Art Under the Umbrellas, La Quinta, CA
    2010 Southwest Arts Festival, Indio, CA
    2009 Rancho Mirage Art Festival, Rancho Mirage, CA
    2009 Southwest Arts Festival, Indio, CA
    2009 Art Under the Umbrellas, La Quinta, CA
    2009 "Earth, Water, Sky", group exhibition, Borrego Springs, CA
    2009 Wildflower Festival, San Jacinto National Monument visitors Center
    2009 First Place Award, Quick draw Competition, Tukwila, WA, Invitational Plein Air Event
    2008 Commissioner's Choice Award, Federal Way City Hall Competition, Federal Way, WA
    2008 Plein Air Exhibit, La Quinta Art Museum, La Quinta, CA
    2008 Plein Air Exhibition Invitational, Palm Desert Visitor Center
    2008 People's Choice Award, Women Painters of Washington Exhibit, Columbia Center, Seattle, WA
    2007 Blue Heron One-Person Exhibit, Vashon Island, WA - 2007
    2007 Plein Air Artists Exhibition, Mountain Trail Gallery, Palm Desert, CA
    2005 Group Exhibition, Desert Art Collection, Palm Desert, CA
    2004 Paintings from France, Evergreen Fine Art Gallery, Evergreen CO
    2001 Oil Painters of America, Juried Exhibit and Membership, Zantman Galleries, Palm Desert, CA.
    2001 Carpenter Museum, Cle Elum, WA., Individual Exhibit
    2001 Clymer Art Museum, Ellensburg, WA., Individual Exhibit -
    2000 Washington State Convention Center, Seattle; Juried Exhibit
    2000 Millennium Exhibit, Sea-Tac Airport; Juried Exhibit
    2000 Mockingbird Gallery, Bend, OR., Individual Exhibit
    2000 La Quinta (CA) Invitational Plein Air Festival

INDIVIDUAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

  • 2009 Demonstrated for art groups at Ironwood Country Club and Marrakech Country Club, Palm Desert, CA
    2009 Demonstrated painting at the Art Center, Palm Springs, CA
    2009 Taught "Drawing with Confidence" at the Palm Springs Art Museum, Palm Springs, CA
    2009 Invited to demonstrate for 'Artist in Action', Palm Springs Art Museum, Palm Springs, CA
    August 2009: Plein Air Invitational, Cle Elum, WA.
    June 2009: 1st Place Award, Quick Draw Portrait Painting Competition.
    April 2008: Taught a Still Life and Outdoor Painting workshop in Panama City, FL.
    March 2008: Began a 4-month class, Meet the Masters, for parents and children at 29 Palms Marine Base.
    February 2008: Taught a 1-week Still Life Painting workshop at the Palm Springs Art Museum.
    February 2008: Taught a 2-day plein air painting workshop in La Quinta, CA.
    January 2008: Taught a 2-day plein air painting workshop in La Quinta, CA.
    November 2008: Taught a 2-day Basic Drawing workshop at the Palm Springs Art Museum.
    November 2008: Demonstrated for the United Artists Group in Seattle, WA.
    October 2007: Taught a 3-day workshop on plein air painting for the Plein Air Painters of Washington.
    July 2007: Taught a plein air workshop in Cle Elum, WA.
    July 2005: Taught a plein air painting workshop in Provence, France.
    March 2004: Taught a 3-day workshop at College of the Desert, Palm Desert, CA.
    June 2004: Completed several commissioned works for Sunrise design center, Toscana Homes.
    February 2003: Taught a 1-week painting workshop at the Palm Springs Art Museum.
  • Three trips to France, specifically to visit and paint in Provence and at Monet's gardens at Giverny to further the artist’s experiences in plein air painting.
  • Jan-Apr, 2001: Invited by the following artist groups to lecture and demonstrate at their premises: Mercer Island Art League, Sky Valley Artists Guild, Artists United, and the Seattle League of Arts.
  • Jan-Mar, 2001: At the Clymer Art Museum (Ellensburg, WA) along with her solo exhibition of oil paintings, the artist presented lectures on the French, Russian, and world-wide Impressionist painting movement, with an emphasis on how these artists had influenced her work. She also did an outdoor painting demonstration on painting snow scenes and indoor demonstrations on color harmony.

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

  • Oil Painters of America (OPA)
  • Women Painters of Washington(WPW)
  • Plein Air Painters of Washington
  • The California Art Club

Poster Sales

Celebrate Big Bear's Inaugural Plein Air Competition by owning this beautiful Event Poster. The original is an oil on panel and says so much about our beautiful valley. The cabin is reminiscent of those designed and built by Guy Maltby in the 1930's, surrounded by sage brush with that vibrant green color and shaded by a majestic Juniper. The Event Poster (unframed) comes packaged in a cardboard box to keep it protected.

Sold for $25 at the Big Bear Lake Visitor Center (40824 Big Bear Blvd) and Chirp Nature Center (578 Bonanza Trail) and O Koo Ran (40780 Village Dr)