PAPNM upcoming events

Mother Road Route 66 Paint Out Palo Duro Canyon June 01, Jul6 6, Aug 3 (01 Jun 2026)

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Mother Road Route 66 Paint Out

PALO DURO CANYON

Amarillo is the largest city on the 178-mile portion of Route 66 from Oklahoma to Texas and into New Mexico. The city is flush with historic sites, Route 66 memorabilia, hotels and restaurants, and lots of fun places to see.

While some Route 66 travelers enjoy the experience of staying only on the Mother Road itself, others take the opportunity to make an adventuresome short side trip to visit the spectacular Palo Duro Canyon which has been considered part of the the Mother Road Experience

Spend a day, or more, and enjoy the excitement of Palo Duro Canyon

Palo Duro Canyon

Located 25 miles south of Amarillo is Palo Duro Canyon State Park, the nation's second largest canyon system after the Grand Canyon. It is also 14 miles from the town of Canyon.

Palo Duro Canyon is the most spectacular and scenic landscape feature in the Texas Panhandle. It was formed by millions of years of water erosion by the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River and the West Texas wind.

There is an 800 foot descent to the canyon floor and more than 16 miles of paved road. Palo Duro Canyon State Park offers fantastic scenic views, historical sites and markers, picnic tables, public restrooms and showers. It also features miles of hiking and biking trails, horseback riding, and a souvenir shop with grill. There are a variety of camping and parking areas suitable for day trips, overnight tent camping, or extended stays in the largest of campers and motor homes.

PALO DURO CANYON STATE PARK

JUNE 01, JULY 06, AUGUST 03

THREE OPPORTUNITIES FOR A ONE-DAY PAINT-OUTS.

We’ll meet at the top, just inside the entrance, at 8:AM. Be sure to get a map at the gate. There is an $8 entrance fee. Paint in groups or on your own. We will meet for lunch at the Trading Post on the floor of the canyon at 11:AM, or bring a sack lunch. Afternoon painting will be the same, on your own or in groups. It is a friendly, safe park, and you will encounter people from all over the United States and the world.

For overnight guests, there are a multitude of choices for lodging and meals. The closest town is Canyon, TX, and it has everything you could need. We can organize a dinner in Canyon if there is enough interest.

Paint Out contact is

LaDonna Daniel

806-676-0768

Text any time

Make sure you register for the 2026 Mother Road Event prior signing up for this fun Paint out

The Mother Road Open Air Open Road Paint Out and Show (Open Registration April 14, 2026) (04 Aug 2026)

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 06:00:00 GMT

The Mother Road Open Air - Open Road, Paint Out and Show

Celebrating the Iconic Route 66 in New Mexico, Arizona and Texas

This is a non juried plein air event open to artist members of Plein Air Painters of New Mexico (PAPNM) and the Amarillo Art Institute (AAI) Artists may paint plein air anywhere along the historic route 66 in either Texas, Arizona or New Mexico during this event. Participating artists may exhibit up to 4 paintings and one Tiny Treasure completed during the event at AAI Gallery. AAI is a 501(c)(6) non-profit organization located at 3701 Plains Boulevard, Suite 72D, Amarillo, Texas 79102

event page

Registration is open to PAPNM and AAI artist and student members in good standing working in two-dimensional media, excluding photography and digital media. Your membership must be current during the entire time of the event

$35.66 is due at time of sign up (non-refundable)

Dates

April 14 to Aug 3 or full - Sign up period. Sign up are on PAPNM website. Must be in good standing of either AAI or PAPNM.
April 21 Sign up open Tucumcari Paint Outs
May 1 to Aug 28 Paint out period is anywhere on Route 66 in Texas and New Mexico
May 11 Pop Up Paint out ABQ
May 29-31 Tucumcari, New Mexico Paint Out
June 1 Palo Doro, Texas
June 18 Grants Mining District along Route 66, Lead Ginny Bracht
June 26-27 Adrian and Vega Texas
July 6 Palo Doro, Texas
July 11 Pecos, New Mexico Paint Out
July 24-26 Cadillac Ranch/Slug Bug Ranch, Amarillo Texas
August 3 Palo Duro Canyon Plein Air.pdf , Texas
August 28 - Last date to receive Shipped work at the AAI.
August 29 - 12 to 5pm Early Drop off at Lee Blakeney's Home in Santa Fe, NM. We will have a potluck, art materials swap and drop off of your wonderful work
September 1- from 10am to 4pm drop off ready to hang artwork at AAI.
September 3 and 4 - Workshop presented by PAPNM Signature Member Dick Wimberly, Details will be posted on websites
September 3 - AAI and PAPNM websites Gallery will go live.
September 4 at 4pm Reception at AAI to formally open the show.
September 4 to October 3 Paintings shall be available for display of up to 4 works plus your Tiny Treasure for each registered member of PAPNM or AAI.
October 3 Show ends.
October 7 Unsold work may be picked up at AAI TBD. Stay tuned for art pick up opportunities in New Mexico.

Event Team

Event Co-Chair - Phyllis Gunderson

Event Co-Chair - Kirk Winn

PAPNM Event Director - Marcia Williams, Marge Garcia Loehr

PAPNM Treasurer - Jane Frederick

PAPNM Sponsor & Donations Director - Deb Fowler

Pecos, New Mexico Paint Out Lead - Phyllis Gunderson
Tucumcari and Albuquerque New Mexico Paint Outs Event Lead - Stephanie West
Adrian/Vega, Cadillac/Slug Bug Ranch, Palo Doro, Texas Paint Outs Event Lead- LaDonna Daniel
Moriarty, New Mexico Paint Out Lead TBD
Amarillo Event Reception Lead - Lee Blakeney

Dick Wimberly 'Give Your Paintings the Glow of the Mother Road' Workshop (02 Sep 2026)

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 21:00:00 GMT

Award winning PAPNM Signature Artist Dick Wimberly will give a 2 day workshop for intermediate plein air artists celebrating the Glow of the Mother Road in Amarillo, Texas and at Palo Duro Canyon State Park. Artists are encouraged to use their preferred mediums and set ups. Dick Wimberly will be teaching in oil on canvas.

Dates: Wednesday September 2 from 3 to 9 pm in Amarillo (specific site tbd)
Thursday September 3rd 9am to 3 pm Palo Duro Canyon State Park. Meet at the Ranger Station. Participants will need to purchase a day pass

Participants are encouraged to bring a sack dinner/lunch for each day and plenty of water.

ATTENDEES MUST BE MEMBERS OF PAPNM OR AAI.

Dick Wimberly 'Give Your Paintings the Glow of the Mother Road' Workshop (03 Sep 2026)

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 15:00:00 GMT

Participants are encouraged to bring a sack dinner/lunch for each day and plenty of water.

ATTENDEES MUST BE MEMBERS OF PAPNM OR AAI.

Steve Atkinson Outdoor Sketching Workshop (09 Sep 2026)

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 14:30:00 GMT

We all dream of creating incredible artwork, landscapes whose compositions catch the eye, paint believable atmosphere, and create environments that are born in the field. While growth happens with a brush and paint, it first happens in the sketchbook, in quick compositional studies, in limited value Notans, and in the pages nobody ever posts online. Before you can make a symphony of nature’s chaos, you need to compose. And before you can fix your mistakes, you first need to be able to see them. That’s where sketching in the field comes in.

In this class we combine two of the very best things in life; being out in nature and sketching. For one day on September 9th, we’ll meet at 8:30 am at TBD and go to a beautiful location around Santa Fe. I’ll start the day with a short talk about what our aim is for the day, then a demo where I show and explain how to distill a complicated scene into simple steps that increases your control over what you’re trying to convey. Once you know how it’s done, it’s your turn to find a shady spot and try for yourself. If you want to learn to draw, already love to draw, or used to draw but have been away from it for a while, this is your chance to give yourself the gift of creating memories in one of the most beautiful places in the world. The class size will be kept small, so you’ll have plenty of personal instruction and I can answer any questions you’ll have. We’ve kept the price low to encourage anyone who wants to participate. Sketching on location changed my life when I was 13, and has made a huge difference in my life and art. It can do the same for you!

Supply List for Steve Atkinson’s Outdoor Sketching Workshop

• Sketch Pad: Small, smooth paper sketchbook, between 8X5” (my preference) and 9X12”. It’s important to fit well in your hand and lap and that you will be able to hold it for 15-30 minutes comfortably. My favorite surface to do these marker sketches on is Strathmore Bristol paper. The smooth surface takes the pen ink well. It also is good for the grayscale markers. Generally, I like to cut my Bristol papers to the size I want to use that day and tape/clamp it to the lapboard. You are welcome to use a sketchbook that you’re comfortable with, but know that when using markers, they will bleed through regular weight sketchbook paper. So, I’d recommend a thick paper sketchbook such as Stillman and Birn “Zeta”, “Beta”, or a Fabriano “Venezia”. These are just a few sketchbooks; many more will work.

• Lap Board: 9X12” or 11X14”: a 1/8” thick Masonite sheet cut to size, lightly sand the edges smooth, or cover the edges with gaffers tape.

• Painters Tape Roll, or Small Clamps to secure your paper/sketchbook to the lapboard.

• Wood pencils: All you need is a #2 pencil, or a blue col-erase pencil, or a mechanical pencil if you prefer (so that you don’t need to carry a sharpener)

• Pencil Sharpener (optional): Handheld small sharpener with an attached container to hold the shavings.

• Waterproof pens: I like black Micron pens 0.5 or 0.8. My other favorite waterproof pens are the Uniball “Eye” micro (UB-150), which are both waterproof and fade proof. These will allow you to work over your inked lines in marker or watercolor if you like.

• Markers: Alcohol markers are the most popular kind being used today, though, any brand of grayscale marker set can work. Some brands that I like are Copic Sketch Marker Set (set of 6 grays), Blick Studio Brush Markers (set of 6 grays). I don’t recommend the Tombow Dual Brush Pen Grayscale 10 pack (because the set has both warm and cool grays mixed, these different temperatures don’t play well together, but they will do if you already have them). Same problem with the Hobby Lobby “Master’s Touch” set. Just make sure whichever markers you choose are fresh and not dried out. There’s nothing worse than reaching for a dried-out marker!

• White Posca Marker: size PC-3M (0.9-1.3mm) for adding white lines and cleaning up sketch.

• Sling bag or Small Backpack: to carry your supplies

• Small portable chair: such as a camp chair. I use the Walk stool, but anything like this is a good choice. Just make sure it’s lightweight and will hold your weight comfortably. You’ll appreciate not having to sit on a rock or the ground.

• Erasers: kneaded and white plastic/vinyl (Staedtler)… pink pearl erasers are fine too.

• Misc Supplies: Sunscreen, plenty of water, a hat with a generous brim and chin strap (ball caps are not the best for this but are better than nothing), plastic grocery bag for trash, snacks and lunch. Camera (with a viewing screen), or your smart phone.

Optional:

• Small straight edge (optional): For drawing straight lines, I carry a 6-8” transparent plastic triangle for this, but I’ve used the side of my phone for this too. It helps, depending on how finished I want my sketch to be, and the border lines.

• Handi Wipes: I keep a couple of individual packs of these to clean up my hands when done, or before eating lunch. You’ll appreciate having them if you need them. These also work great when you’re out oil painting.

• Walking Poles if need extra help to feel stable while hiking to our spot.

2026 Summer Skies Online Contest (10 Sep 2026)

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 05:55:00 GMT

CONTEST DESCRIPTION

PAPNM Artist, Signature and Master Signature members may participate in the 2026 Summer Skies Online Contest with paintings highlighting the beautiful summer skies and clouds from across the country (ONE painting each, painted "en plein air" during the indicated painting period).

Painting period: June 1 - Sept 10, 2026

Out-of-state members are strongly encouraged to participate.

Members are to upload their summer painting to the

2026 Summer Skies Online Contest Album

Read the Online Contest Prospectus for full requirements and instructions.