In fits and starts, warmer weather is on its way to the DC region, and our thoughts are turning to sunny days to come. For this edition of Artful Links, we’re sharing some artful ways to take advantage of the great outdoors:

• The Purkinje Effect: If the longer daylight hours have you thinking of breaking out the pochade box for some painting en plein air, you should check out this article on the unique effect of low light on the eye’s perception of color, on Artist Daily’s Plein Air blog. You’ve noticed it, and now you have a name for it!
• A Six-Month Photo: Many of us have played with pinhole cameras, but the Phoblographer reports on this project by UK photographer Matt Bigwood, who produced some very cool images by leaving pinholed beer cans outside for a six-month exposure. Check out the link to see how the sun draws lines across the sky, recording the changing seasons and daily weather. A bonus: we also learned there is a World Pinhole Day, coming up April 28.
• Cherry Blossom Photo Contest: For those who prefer faster shutter speeds: the blossoms are here again, and so’s the FotoDC Cherry Blossom Photo Contest. Enter by April 18 — entry fees apply, and there are cash awards for the top three photographs.
• Alexandria Art Hike: How about a springtime stroll accompanied by some arts appreciation? Alexandria’s Office of the Arts has a list (PDF here) of public sculptures, murals, and other art and where you can find them.
• Outdoor Art Classes: Everybody knows the best day of school was when you convinced the teacher to take class outside. The Art League has some upcoming classes and workshops where that’s the whole point! Plein Air and Paper with Bobbi Pratte starts April 11, Plein Air Landscape Painting with Sara Linda Poly starts April 23, Sketchbooks with Stephen Procopio starts April 25, Plein Air Landscape Monotypes with Bobbi Pratte and Penny Barringer is May 30 and 31, Weekends in the Plein Air Landscape with Mike Francis and Landscape Painting with Fred Markham both start May 4, and Avis Fleming teaches two sketchbook workshops in June: Old Town and Old Town and National Zoo.

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