Jean Stern judged the December-January contest in the PleinAir Salon, setting up a slew of artists to win thousands of dollars in prizes. Who’s in?
Kim Lordier won First Place for “Azure Wonderland,” an pastel painting that also won Best Figure in the Landscape. Richard Sneary won Second Place with “West Texas Town,” which also won Best Vehicle. Third Place went to Katie Cundiff for “Tarpon Reflections,” which also won Best Water.
In the awards for various media, John Kiser took home Best Acrylic with “Pink Harbor,” Melanie Thompson won Best Oil for “Fields Edge,” Jill Stefani Wagner won Best Pastel with “Moment,” and Michael Holter won Best Watercolor with “Light on the Facade.”
The Salon gives awards based on subject matter. In the December-January contest, Best Plein Air was won by Brian Keefer for “Winter Light—Glenwood Heights Road, Ithaca, NY,” Best Building went to Nancy Crookston for “Ride Home,” Best Floral went to Carolyn Lord for “Misty Morning Persimmon,” Ann Sanders took Best Landscape with “Dusk,” Best Nocturne was won by Timothy Horn for “A Thousand Acres,” and Lewis Williams’ “Plein Air Nightmare” won Best Outdoor Still Life.
PleinAir magazine added several new categories to the PleinAir Salon this year. Best Sketchbook was won by Michael Dumas for “White Garden,” Best Artist Under 30 went to Melanie Thompson for “Wallowa Valley Twilight,” Best Student was won by Anne Green for “Brass Kettle and Apples,” and Best Artist Over 65 was won by Richard Sneary for “Susan L.”
The PleinAir Salon consists of six bi-monthly contests, with the First, Second, and Third Place winners of each contest, and the category winners, automatically entered into the annual competition. First prize in the annual competition is $15,000 cash and the publication of the winning image on the cover of PleinAir magazine, along with a feature story. Second Place earns an artist $3,000 and an article in the digital edition of PleinAir magazine. Third Place yields $1,500 in cash. Three additional finalists win $500. Aside from First, Second and Third Place overall, categories include Best Oil, Best Pastel, Best Watercolor, Best Acrylic, Best Plein Air, Best Building, Best Figure in the Landscape, Best Floral, Best Landscape, Best Outdoor Still Life, Best Nocturne, Best Water, Best Vehicle, Best Sketchbook, Best Artist Over 65, Best Student, and Best Artist Under 30.
Did you know that the PleinAir Salon got a little richer in prizes in 2016? There have long been big annual prizes, but now artists earn cash for the top prizes in the bimonthly contests. The First Place winners in the six yearly contests each earn $1,000, with $500 going to Second Place and $250 going to the Third Place winners. The winner of each bi-monthly contest is also featured in this enewsletter and profiled on OutdoorPainter.com. In mid-April, the $21,000 in annual prizes will be awarded to the annual winners at the 2017 Plein Air Convention & Expo, in San Diego, California.
