Laguna Plein Air Painters Association is Delighted to Welcome
Six New Signature Members to Our Fold.

Signature Membership acknowledges not only superior talents as an artist but also the artistic leadership that our artists bring to the plein air genre.

Both our distinguished jurors and Board Members accomplished this year’s selection of Signature Members in a two-step process employing both objective and subjective evaluations.

Their works were submitted to and judged by:

Jean Stern – Executive Director - Irvine Museum

Kim Lordier – LPAPA - Signature Member, Pastel Society of America- Signature Member

Derry Coe – Laguna Art Museum - Education Curatorial Assistant, Volunteer Coordinator Plein Air Events, Plein Air Art Collector

Michael Obermeyer – LPAPA - Signature Member, California Art Club – Signature Member, Oil Painters of America

Robert Watts – LPAPA Signature Member


Signature Members are carefully selected after demonstrating the highest level of proficiency representing the plein air style. Loosely translated, “plein air” is a French term that means to paint outdoors, usually on location. Signature Members are expected to mentor and provide workshops for the general artist membership.

Laguna has always enjoyed a rich artistic history. In 1996, Saim Caglayan invited a group of local landscape painters to form the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association. Original signature members included Saim Caglayan, Ken Auster, Jacobus Bass, Cynthia Britain and John Cosby. Their motive was to link the strong plein air movement of the early California painters to today’s painters in order to create a national bond. Today, the non-profit organization represents hundreds of painters throughout the country.

Individuals interested in further information on LPAPA, please email to: info@lpapa.org. Membership is open to artists, students and patrons of the arts.


Congratulations to the following new Signature Members:

John Burton, Carmel, CA –  burtonartstudio.com

Debra Huse, Newport Beach, CA – debrahuse.com

Paul Kratter, Moraga, CA – paulkratter.com

April Raber, Laguna Beach, CA – aprilr.com

Bryan Mark Taylor, Lafayette, CA – bryanmarktaylor.com

Jeff Yeomans, San Diego, CA – jeffyeomans.com