News & Events

Plein Air Artists

This year, we’re proud to have Plein Air artists on the farm painting the landscape, Native American and early French American sugar encampments. Below, we have bios for three of the artists that will be at the festival. Their paintings will be available for purchase.

Roy Boswell

Roy Boswell was born in 1985 and was raised in southeastern Indiana on a family farm. At an early age he took interest in architecture and went on to study landscape architecture and design at Purdue University. While there, two professors had a profound impact on where he is today. Kent Schuette taught Roy perspective drawing and design theory, and Greg Pierceall taught graphic design and mentored. It wasn’t until after graduating that Roy took up fine art. Currently Roy practices in pastel, oil and acrylic. He credits Donna Shortt with turning him from a line maker to a painter. He works primarily in plein air, but also works from field studies in the studio and still life. Roy does his best to paint everything he sees, from a beautiful view of the countryside down to a drainage ditch. He credits painting all manners of subject matter regardless of visual beauty to his continual learning of the different mediums. Watching over the shoulders of some of Indiana’s best plein air artist at IPAPA events has also been a great learning experience for Roy. Storytelling is a large part of his process, and is something he does his best to incorporate into every painting.

Pamela C. Newell

Pamela C. Newell is an award-winning artist, whose pastel and oil paintings have been recognized in many national and regional juried competitions including the Hoosier Salon, Indiana Heritage Arts, the Richmond Art Museum, Chicago Pastel Painters and Cincinnati Viewpoint. Specializing in impressionistic style paintings of landscapes, gardens, and still life, her expressive work reflects a love of nature. She uses rich color to describe light and mood of the moment in her plein air and studio created work. The Fishers artist is a workshop instructor throughout the region and a faculty member of the Indianapolis Art Center.  Her oils and pastels have earned the Indiana Artisan designation.  In 2011 her pastel painting “In The Heartland” was presented to Lt. Governor Becky Skillman on behalf of Indiana Artisan and was displayed in the Lt. Governors’ statehouse office.

Donna Shortt

Donna Shortt is a life-long Indiana resident and skilled in the use of oils, watercolors, pastels and acrylics. She is now concentrating on perfecting her skills in the pastel and oil mediums. She enjoys painting plein air landscapes and light-filled still life sets in her studio. She is part of a group that meets weekly for life drawing as it is her continuing desire to improve her drawing and painting skills. Recent accomplishments include a Purchase Award from the Indiana State Museum in 2008 and a Best of Show in the fine arts professional division at the Indiana State Fair in 2007.