When you think of art, famous painters like Monet and Picasso may come to mind, but Southeastern Ohio has it's own gold mine of talented artists.

Today the Zanesville Art Center opened it's doors to members of the Ohio Plein Air Society for their annual members exhibition. Plein air focuses on one main area as the artist's subject.

"Plein air painters are painters that go outdoors and paint from life. They're generally painting a landscape or a person in a landscape. But it's basically going outdoors and painting life," said co-founder of OPAS Debra Dawson.

Dawson said plein air painting is difficult for one main reason.

"The hallmark of plein air paintings are, they're done quickly for the most part. If you're doing an alla prima painting, it's completed in one sitting. It's done very quickly. The sun is constantly moving so you're trying to find a quality of light and stop it somewhere," she said.

The Ohio Plein Air Society was founded in 2002 and has nearly 200 members all across Ohio. Dawson said the group is made up of beginners and masters.

To find out more about plein air or the Ohio Plein Air Society, click here.