For the last eight years, there has been a growing movement in Humboldt County, California's art community-dozens of artists who routinely trade in the safety and comfort of their studios to paint outside, en plein air. They meet weekly to challenge themselves-and each other- to capture Humboldt's beauty. This movement has been chronicled in newspapers, magazines and various local catalogues. It's been shouted out on social media, radio and TV. But it's never been chronicled in a book. Come to find out, neither has any other collection of painters in Humboldt. Until now.

This book serves as Humboldt County's first anthology of painters. It offers a snapshot in time of the county's plein air community in order to showcase the arc of abilities, the collaborative spirit and the beauty of this movement. Crafted in an avant garde, unique to Humboldt style, the anthology features thirty seven artists-from beginners to world renown professionals-including photographs of each artist in their element, samples of their artwork, bios and brief essays which respond to the question, "Does art matter in this crossroads of our time?" Their answers, like their art, are as unique as Humboldt's thriving art community.