The act of painting outdoors. Sponsored by the Village of Schaumburg in conjunction with Blick Art Materials Plein Air painting or drawing in any medium i.e., outdoors, from direct observation of the subject matter. The Village of Schaumburg and Al Larson Prairie Center for the Arts announces the 12th Prairie Plein Air Competition and Show in Schaumburg, IL. Plein air artists are invited to use their vision and talents to capture picturesque vistas of Schaumburg’s diverse, award winning lifestyle. Schaumburg, a community of 78,700 residents 30 miles northwest of Chicago, offers a myriad of inspirations for plein air artists, from modern skyscrapers to quaint 19th century buildings, cozy suburban homes to log cabins, bustling commercial street scenes to the stately Veterans Gateway Memorial clock tower, beautifully landscaped public parks and gardens to the wild flora of Spring Valley Nature Center, a majestically ‘steepled’ mid-19th century church to a 21st century minor league baseball park, suburbanites sitting pond side watching swans at the municipal center grounds to docents dressed in traditional costume harnessing draft horses at Heritage Farm, and much, much more!