August 2026 Meeting

Lifelong artist, avid outdoor painter, and gear builder Evan Stephens will be presenting on August 11!

We are excited to welcome landscape painter and habitual gear maker Evan Stephens as our August guest presenter!


Evan Stephens is a landscape painter who loves exploring his native Utah's wild places, often hiking in search of inspiration. Most of his paintings begin en plein air, where working directly from life allows him to experience the landscape in a way that photographs simply can't capture.


A lifelong tinkerer and habitual maker, Evan loves to design and build his own plein air equipment, creating lightweight, practical gear that lets him paint wherever the trail leads. He believes thoughtful, streamlined tools help remove distractions, allowing artists to focus on what matters most: the painting itself.


Plein air painting has a way of keeping us humble. One minute you're inspired by a breathtaking vista; the next, you're chasing an umbrella across a field, picking bugs off your wet painting, or having a heart attack after a deer suddenly charges into your clearing. If you've ever spent more time setting up your gear than actually painting, you're not alone. Yet despite all the chaos, painting outdoors remains one of the best—and most rewarding—ways to grow as an artist.


In this month's presentation, avid outdoor painter Evan Stephens will talk about why plein air painting makes us better painters, how thoughtful gear choices can eliminate unnecessary frustration, and how a few simple principles can make painting outdoors far more enjoyable. We'll discuss practical strategies for building a setup that's lighter, faster, simpler, and flexible enough to handle everything from windy ridgelines to a quick painting beside the car.


This isn't a talk about buying the latest gadget or the fanciest pochade box. Quite the opposite. You'll see how DIY projects, inexpensive modifications, and a little creative engineering can produce gear that works better for less money. Whether you're a seasoned plein air painter or just thinking about venturing outside for the first time, you'll come away with practical ideas, a few DIY tricks, and hopefully one less excuse for staying in the studio.