Rusty Kinnunen

Plein Air

Rusty is an officially juried artist at the Cape Ann Plein Air 2026 Festival, happening:

October 3–11, 2026

Visit capeannpleinair.org for more information about the festival.

Follow Rusty on Instagram

To see his latest paintings and videos of his process follow at: instagram.com/rustykinnunen_art/

View fullsize Honey in Slumberland, gouache 6x8”
View fullsize This scene called to me. I love these old Victorian(?) houses in Gloucester, MA, and I love that this one is wrapped in staging.
View fullsize My quick draw painting from @capeannpleinair 2025. So happy to have received an Honorable Mention for this one from judge @hiulaichongart. Painted in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA, I was attracted to this scene because was complex, layered and had a nice
View fullsize So this happened: First Place at Cape Ann Plein Air this week! I am so thrilled and honored to win on my first ever plein air festival. Thank you to the amazing artist and exhibition judge @hiulaichongart for seeing something special in my work. Than
View fullsize @capeannpleinair round up: 5 competition + 3 non-competition paintings. So honored to be exhibiting at Northshore Arts Association in Gloucester, MA this weekend. All will be available for purchase. Gala event is tonight at 6pm.

Rusty Kinnunen Bio

Rusty Kinnunen is an award winning painter and printmaker living in Rockport, Massachusetts. He studied painting at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, graduating in 2004 with a BFA. In 2012, along with his wife, he founded Rusty & Ingrid Screen Prints, which has grown into a successful gallery selling their own hand made fine art silkscreen prints. Recently, Rusty took the first place prize at the Cape Ann Plein Air 2025 festival for his painting Harbor Labyrinth.

Throughout his life, Rusty has continually turned to plein air painting to maintain his creativity, and the appeal for him is an intuitive connection to a moment in time and to a particular point of view. His subject matter includes everyday scenes around coastal New England, as well as scenes around the home. When painting, he looks for interesting light, geometry, and a hint of a story. Light motivates the scene, livens the colors and sets the moment in time. Geometry refers to finding interesting shapes in a scene as well as an interesting composition. Most often the narrative element is evidence of time passing, or something that people have left behind, inviting the viewer to contemplate the story of the scene.