Lori McNee Article Link…   Twitter’s LoriMcNee, and the Art of Love

ARTIST STATEMENT

Painting outdoors is at the heart of McNee’s creative process. When she paints outside en plein air, Mother Nature is in charge. In the studio, however, she creates her own small universe, where observation, memory, imagination, and the feeling of the experience come together. Through backcountry adventures, painting en plein air, photography, and travels around the world, she immerses herself in the landscapes and cultures of the places she explores. Her paintings begin with direct encounters in the field and evolve in her Idaho mountain and farm studios.

Often described as a tonal impressionist with luminist sensibilities, McNee is less interested in documenting a scene than in capturing the light, atmosphere and mood of a place. Her camera records a moment. She paints the feeling of the experience. Moving between realism and impressionism, McNee seeks to capture the spirit of the subject and the soul of the landscape, offering not just a likeness, but the feeling of being there. In a world that often feels hurried and chaotic, she hopes her paintings offer a quiet pause, a moment of connection, reflection and peace.

EDUCATION & TRAINING

• Grossmont College

• San Diego State University

• Studied wildlife art with Robert Bateman, John Seerey‑Lester, Guy Coheleach, Vivi Crandall, and Carl Brenders.

• Still life with Joe Anna Arnett; landscape with Michael Workman, Michael Lynch, Scott Christensen, and Robert Moore.

• Additional training in encaustic and mixed media.

SELECT EXHIBITIONS & MUSEUM SHOWS

• Museum of Western Art — “Wild Women: Land, Stewardship, and the Texas Hill Country” (Jan 22 – April 22, 2028)

• Thunderbird Foundation for the Arts — “Wild Women Ride Again: Big Skies and Desert Blooms” (Sept 2026).

• Illume Gallery West — “Treasures of the West Invitational” (July 2026)

• Illume Gallery West — “Wild Women Paint the West” (Sept 2025).

• Martin House Gallery — Annual Women’s Exhibition (2023–present).

• Kneeland Gallery — Annual Plein Air Invitational; recurring solo & group exhibitions

(2000–present).

• Dana Gallery — Annual Plein Air Invitational; Western Art Week, Great Falls MT; recurring solo & group exhibitions (2005–present).

• Gardner Colby Gallery — Solo Exhibition, Naples FL (2007–2008).

• Sun Valley Museum of Art — Ketchum ID (2024).

• Gilcrease Museum — Tulsa OK (2009).

• Museum of Encaustic Art — Santa Fe NM (Permanent Collection, 2016).

• Upcoming: Kneeland Gallery — Wildlife Exhibition (Feb 2026).

• Upcoming: Ballard’s Art Gallery, Sheridan WY — “Wild Women Paint the West” (2026).

• Upcoming: Museum of Western Art, Kerrville TX — Group exhibition with Wild Women Artists (2028).

JUDGING & JURYING (SELECTION)

• Midway Art Association — Plein Air Paradise, Utah — Awards Judge (July 2025).

• National Oil & Acrylic Painters Society (NOAPS) — Awards Judge (2021).

• Heartland Art Club — Signature Status Awards Judge (2020).

• Chehalem Cultural Center — Lavender Paint‑Out, Oregon — Awards Judge (July 2025).

• Eagle Plein Air Paint‑Out, Idaho — Awards Judge & Guest Speaker (Oct 2020).

• New Mexico Plein Air Painters — Judge (2024, online national exhibition).

• Johnson County Center for the Arts / Cultural Heritage Plein Air, North Carolina —Selection & Awards Judge (2024).

LECTURES, DEMONSTRATIONS & CONFERENCE WORK

• Plein Air Convention & Expo (PACE) — Faculty & on‑stage demonstrator (multiple years; Headline Artist upcoming 2026).

• PACE — Lunch & Learn sessions (multiple years).

• Royal Talens / COBRA — Multiple booth and stage demos at national conventions (official Cobra Ambassador).

• Oil Painters of America National Exhibition — Featured demonstrator & speaker (2014).

• American Impressionist Society National Exhibition — Business presentation (2017).

• Eagle Plein Air Festival — Guest speaker (2020).

TEACHING & WORKSHOPS

• Royal Talens / Cobra — Bird Painting Workshop, Royal Talens International HQ, Apeldoorn, Netherlands (May 2025).

• Art Colony Giverny — Monet’s Garden, Giverny, France (six consecutive years), plein air.

• Art Escape Italy — Lucca & Cinque Terre, plein air.

• Paint Europe — The Cotswolds (England) and Greece, plein air.

• Painting Safari — South Africa, plein air & wildlife.

• Scotland — Highlands & Loch Fyne region, plein air.

• Mexico — Baja, plein air.

• Sun Valley Museum of Art — Still life & encaustic classes.

• Founder & Instructor — Lori’s Fine Art Tips School (online).

• United States Workshops — Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, California, Georgia.

PUBLICATIONS & MEDIA (SELECTION)

Magazines & Print:

• Plein Air Magazine —“Where Wildlife Meets the Landscape: Painting Animals with Atmosphere.” (Aug/Sept 2026)

• Penguin Random House —“Fine Art Tips with Lori McNee: Painting Techniques and Professional Advice” Book (2015)

• American Art Collector (2006; 2015; 2019; Jan 2025).

• PleinAir Magazine (2019; Oct/Nov 2024).

• Fine Art Connoisseur (2013).

• Southwest Art (2003; 2017).

• Wildlife Art Magazine (2002; 2004; 2007).

• Sun Valley Magazine (1990; 2014; 2024).

• Sun Valley Guide (2005; 2007).

• Western Home Journal (2021; 2024).

• Inside Art (2024).

• Paint & Prosper Magazine (2025).

• The Wall Street Journal (online feature).

• Huffington Post (2010; 2017).

• Artists Network / F+W Media — contributor (incl. Outdoor Painter).

Podcasts & Broadcasts:

• Plein Air Podcast — Episode 80 (with Eric Rhoads).

• Outdoor Painter Podcast — Episode 217.

• Creative Endeavor Podcast — Episode 26 (Andrew Tischler).

• Royal Talens Creators Studio LIVE.

• Art School LIVE with Eric Rhoads.

• Artful Minds.

• Multiple features on Outdoor Painter online publication.

Television & Streaming:

• Host & Producer — “Art Beat with Lori McNee,” Eye on Sun Valley TV.

• Featured Guest — The Kathy Ireland Show (filmed on location in Sun Valley).

• Interviews — Eye on Sun Valley; Plum TV.

• PaintTube TV features, incl. “Social Media Marketing Secrets Revealed” (producer/on‑camera) and “Luminous Landscapes in Water‑Mixable Oils” (artist/host).

COLLECTIONS

• Museum of Encaustic Art — Permanent Collection (2016).

• Albertsons Corporate Collection.

• Estate of Jack Hemingway.

• Numerous private collections (U.S. and international).

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS & AFFILIATIONS

• Signature Member — Oil Painters of America.

• Signature Member — American Impressionist Society.

• Signature Member — Heartland Art Club.

• Juried Out‑of‑State Member — California Art Club.

• Brand Ambassador — Royal Talens International; Royal Talens North America; Silver Brush Ltd.

• Former Ambassador — Princeton Brush; Fredrix Canvas.