LAHAINA – The 2012 Maui Plein Air Painting Invitational will offer three-day Plein Air Workshops led by Ray Roberts on Feb. 15-17 and Ken Auster on Feb. 27-29.

To participate, contact workshop coordinator Marilyn Maulin at marilynmaulin@hotmail.com. Advance reservations are required, and space is limited. Cost is $375 per person; a portion of the workshop fees will go toward a youth art scholarship fund.

Last year’s recipient, Lori Nishikawa from Baldwin High School, attended Jennifer McChristian’s workshop. These experiences help foster students’ aspirations for pursuing a career in the art industry.

Students wishing to be considered for 2012 scholarships should contact Maulin at marilynmaulin@hotmail.com.

Roberts is one of California’s most respected plein air artists. He captured the gold medal for “Best Painting” at the California Art Club and the Artists’ Choice Award, the highest accolade from fellow artists, at three major Southwest art events.

Highly acclaimed for his seascapes, figurative work and majestic views of California and the Southwest, his vibrant use of color, bold textures and sensitivity to shifting patterns of light give life and movement to his paintings.

The great outdoors is his studio. A bit of an adventurer, he’s been known to backpack for several days into the wilderness, set up his easel on a cliff edge – or in the surf – for just the right setting.

“Over the years, I’ve become my own artist,” said Roberts. “I’m constantly searching and evolving. When I go out to paint, whether it’s on the coast, the mountains or the desert, I look for something that speaks to me emotionally and try to get that communication across. I hope that people can share my vision through the canvas. My paintings are my footprints.”

Auster grew up with his feet deeply planted in the surfing culture, where he first learned to express his art talent.

Caught up in the groundswell of the 1960s surfing culture, he not only plunged into the sport of surfing but into the art and graphics of surfing as well.

He built one of the world’s most prominent silkscreen and T-shirt companies, creating now-legendary surfing art, prints and posters that adorned surfers from Belmont Shores to Hawaii to Mexico.

In the mid-1990s, Auster moved to a more serious art level – throwing himself into the splendor of plein air painting – and in a relatively short time has moved to the forefront of American contemporary impressionists.

He consistently walks away with gold medals and first place awards at juried exhibits. His art, prints and posters are collected by some of the most respected galleries and patrons.

Renowned for his classic surf art, Auster now sees and paints a bold, dynamically changing world.

Scheduled for Feb. 18-26, the seventh annual Maui Plein Air Painting Invitational will welcome 25 of the finest plein air painters from Hawaii and the U.S. Mainland to paint on location around Maui.

Visitors have numerous opportunities to meet and talk with the artists. Events will include a lecture on plein air painting, a quick draw, sunset paint-out, a gala reception and an exhibition of all the works created with the opportunity to purchase the paintings.

For more information on the invitational, contact Rhonda Pang at (808) 298-9119 or visit www.MauiPleinAirPainting.com.