As an exciting conclusion to the 1st Annual PleinAir Salon competition, a check for $15,000 was presented to New Jersey artist D. Eleinne Basa for her painting “Afternoon Light” during the 1st Annual Plein Air Convention & Expo in Las Vegas on April 12, 2012. Other awards were presented totaling $6,000.

Both Kim Lordier and Ned Mueller were extremely impressed with Mitch Baird’s painting of gondoliers navigating a canal in Venice, Italy and awarded it the First Prize in the November/December competition for the 1st Annual PleinAir Salon. The Arizona artist is a dedicated plein air painter who uses his field sketches in the studio to create stunning landscapes, still lifes, and figurative paintings.

Don’t miss the opportunity to win $20,000 in cash prizes in the PleinAir Salon Competition. The deadline for entering the January/February bimonthly competition is February 29, 2012. Visit www.pleinairsalon.com to complete the entry process and submit your best artwork!

Oregon artist Mitch Baird’s painting “A Guiding Nudge” was selected to receive the First Prize award in the November/December 1st Annual PleinAir Salon Competition by judges Kim Lordier and Ned Mueller. Second prize went to Marc Dalessio for his painting “Barn at Turback”, and Third Prize was given to Aaron Schuerr for his painting titled “River Glow.” The judges offered comments about all three of these paintings.