Michelle Jahraus and her dog arrived at Good Harbor beach before dawn. She made it a point to get there early enough to choose the perfect spot to set up her easel and paint supplies in time to capture the sunrise over Lake Michigan. Jahraus, a Maple City resident, had just begun to block in the scene when she felt a powerful whoosh of air accompanied by the sound of beating wings. She looked up to see a bald eagle flying away from a perch right above her head. It is moments like this that draw artists to the act of en plein air, a French expression meaning “in the open air” and the practice of painting outdoors, on location.