The Source on Lake hosts an exhibition of Plein Air paintings by painters Richard Gallego and Jose L. De Juan, "In Plein Sight II." The exhibit opened Saturday, February 16.

"Plein air" means "out-of-doors" in French. "En plein air" is a French expression meaning "in the open air," and is used to describe painting in an outside location rather than indoors. Today the term "plein air" generally means a painting completed outside.

The Plein Air movement took bloom in the mid-1800s and remains popular to this day. It reached its peak in California when painters established colonies in Pasadena, Laguna, Carmel and other regions.

Richard Gallego grew up In Los Angeles. He has studied with Mark Strickland at Art Center in Pasadena, as well as with respected landscape painter and California Art Club signature member Karl Dempwolf.

Inspired by wild places and the beauty of nature, Richard paints in an effort to remind those who view his work that there is beauty to be seen even in places we sometimes take for granted. He works primarily in oils, on a small scale, on location.

Jose L. De Juan is a native of Madrid, Spain. He studied at the Madrid Academy of Art and graduated in Graphic Design. Jose thinks learning lasts forever, so he has taken classes and workshops at the Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art, Art Center in Pasadena and the Scottsdale Artist's School with such luminaries as Andrew Peters and Jennifer McChristian.

He spends every minute of his time pursuing his passion for painting. He is a devoted plein-air artist and finds constant inspiration in the city and its surroundings. He uses both oil and watercolor to capture the light.

“In Plein Sight II” runs from February 16 to March 22, 2008.

The Source on Lake is a gallery space in the showroom of award-winning fine arts Framer, Joe Boutell. Boutell and co-owner Gene Rogolsky feature the work of specially selected visual artists and provide specialized framing services for the best in fine art, limited edition prints and three-dimensional objects. The Source on Lake is at 1565 N. Lake Ave., Pasadena. For more information, call 626-794-1740.