CAYUGA - Literally translated from the French, Plein Aire means “in the open air.”

But this two-word phrase means more than that, it is its own school of art, a form practiced outdoors, in the open air.

Saturday, well-known Auburn artist Tom Hussey hosted a demonstration of open-air art on the shores of Cayuga Lake, behind the village office building at Harris Park in Cayuga, as part of the Celebrate Cayuga Waterfront Art series.

Susan Harris, a member of the village planning board, was instrumental in securing the funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, which has made this series, on shores of Cayuga Lake this summer, possible.

Harris said that when planning on doing a day on painting outdoors, she immediately thought of Hussey.

“He has wonderful paintings of the Finger Lakes,” Harris said. “But not only is he a great painter, he is a great communicator and instructor, and I thought it would be wonderful to have him here for this today.”

In his career, Hussey has captured many scenes of life in and on the Finger Lakes.

Saturday, in the spirit of the Plein Aire style, Hussey set up his easel and began to paint the pier that juts out from the shore, capturing the grays of the sky and the changing colors of the trees and incorporating the birds that flew in and out of his landscape view.

All the while, Hussey spoke to the gathered artists, explaining his techniques for mixing colors and adding depth and shading and definition to the scene.

When asked to host the demonstration, Hussey said that he saw it as an interesting opportunity.

“It is always nice to meet other artists,” he said. “And today is a great day to be outside painting on the shore of the lake. It is interesting to be able to talk to other artists and show what I'm doing and just talk and share our experiences and ideas.”

Feeling free to add and improvise, Hussey had his painting completed within a couple of hours.

Afterward, guests were encouraged to walk around the shore and find their own scenes to paint, while Hussey walked around giving encouragement and offering a bit of advice.

“I hope that this helps all of us improve our experience,” Hussey said. “The whole idea with this is to try to capture the essence of the scene simply and effectively.”

Abby Gazley, of Seneca Falls, was among those in attendance for the afternoon.

Gazley said that as a member of the Seneca County Arts Council, she is an avid painter, working mostly in watercolors, and she saw this as an opportunity to branch out and try her hand at a new style.

“I don't usually do Plein Aire,” Gazley said. “Today I brought some water-soluble oils with me, and I just wanted to give this a try. I've been looking around and usually I paint things that have buildings in them, but this time I think I'm going to try something a little simpler.”

Harris and Hussey said they hoped that the artists were able to take away an appreciation for the style and beauty of Cayuga Lake and the inspiration it has to offer.

Harris said that in October she will be hosting a photography class, similar to Hussey's painting seminar and she has big plans for the art from both events.

“We'll have the work from both hanging up in the train station (village office),” Harris said.

“From November through Christmas when we have our Christmas train event. I think it will really be a great display.”