I'm very happy to be assuming the reins of The Arizona Plein Air Painters group from Matt Sterbenz. He has worked hard for us and his dedication to the group and his craft have been amazing. He's ready to retire his stewardship of APAP, however, but will be helping us in many other ways. As I hope all of you will.

APAP is undergoing some exciting changes. Not everything will change. Our primary focus has been and will be to practice and promote the tradition of painting outdoors. With that in mind, however, look for some new and exciting events coming in 2018.

Things like:

• Plein Air Contests
• Workshops
• Camping Paint Outs
• Shows
• Community Outreach
• Urban Paint Outs
• and more . . .  (In addition to our regular, member-organized paint outs, of course.)

We'll be looking at ways to cover the group's expenses. We may need to reinstate the dues system or ask for donations. This is still up in the air. It will be decided by the first of the year.

I'd love to hear your ideas, as well, about how we can make this group more relevant to ourselves, our artistic journeys, (as a group and individually), and to our beautiful state, Arizona. We are its best ambassadors. Being an Arizona native, I'm very proud of my state and look forward to the chance to show it off.

My name is Kimber Scott. People who know me, call me Kim. I've been a painter since I was about eight years old. I received my BFA in Painting from Arizona State University in 2006. Believe me, there were quite a few years and several lifetimes between being eight and graduating in 2006. My work has focused mainly on portraits/figurative, still life, and murals. I am still a newby, however, when it comes to plein air. I'm finally at a place in my life where I can devote more time to my work and plein air is going to be a very big part of it. I'm looking forward to sharing this adventure with all of you as we put in the brush miles and make beautiful work, together.

Please, introduce yourselves in the comments below. Maybe, include a little bio and your website address, if you have one. You can also post ideas, questions, and suggestions below. I can't wait to meet you here and out in the real world!