Actually, anyone who paints is eligible, but 16 people did just get a step closer. The PleinAir Salon gives out $21,000 in cash prizes each April, and award winners in the December-January contest of the Salon are now poised to compete for the $15,000 top award. Who joined the pool of winners?
In April the $21,000 in prizes will be awarded to the annual winners at the 2015 Plein Air Convention & Expo. 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, and Best Artist Under 30.
Who won in the latest contest? Mark Boedges won First Place for his oil painting “A Winter Harmony.” John McCartin won Second Place for “The Secret Passage.” Third Place went to Jim McVicker for “Fishing Boats.”
“A Winter Harmony,” by Mark Boedges, oil, 11 x 14 in. First Place
“The Secret Passage,” by John McCartin, oil, 12 1/4 x 15 in. Second Place
“Fishing Boats,” by Jim McVicker, oil, 9 x 12 in. Third Place
In the media categories, Michael Dumas won Best Oil for “Silence in the Shadows,” while Marc Hanson took Best Pastel with “55th Street Rise.” Ron Bigony earned Best Watercolor for “The Fossil Hunters,” and Christopher Moeller’s “San Diego Bay I” won Best Acrylic.
“Silence in the Shadows,” by Michael Dumas, oil, 7 1/2 x 9 1/2 in. Best Oil
“55th St. Rise,” by Marc Hanson, pastel, 8 x 10 in. Best Pastel
“The Fossil Hunters,” by Ron Bigony, watercolor, 14 x 21 in. Best Watercolor
“San Diego Bay I,” by Christopher Moeller, acrylic, 9 x 13 in. Best Acrylic
PleinAir magazine is making a point of nurturing a love of plein air painting in younger artists. To that end, the new contest category of Best Artist Under 30 is showcasing emerging artists in plein air world. Eugene Kuperman of Valley Village, California, won that honor in the December-January contest with “Hollywood Walk of Fame.”
“Hollywood Walk of Fame,” by Eugene Kuperman, oil, 36 x 24 in. Best Artist Under 30
In the other categories, Best Plein Air went to Charles Smith for “November Morning Sun,” Best Buildings was won by Lori Putnam for “Down to the Sea,” and Best Figure in a Landscape went to Scott Burdick for “Mayan Colors.” Best Floral was won by Marc Dalessio for his piece “Garden, Zvijezda,” while Best Landscape went to Jim Lamb for “Montana Hay.” “Bartalotta’s Bistro Kitchen,” by Curtis Crain, won Best Nocturne. Best Still Life was won by Howard Friedland’s “Reds and Whites,” and Best Water was won by Canadian Deborah Tilby for her piece “Hidden in the Woods.”
“Down to the Sea,” by Lori Putnam, oil, 18 x 24 in. Best Buildings
“Mayan Colors,” by Scott Burdick, oil, 30 x 30 in. Best Figure in a Landscape
“Garden, Zvijezda,” by Marc Dalessio, oil, 14 x 11 in. Best Floral
“Montana Hay,” by Jim Lamb, oil, 20 x 30 in. Best Landscape
“Bartalotta’s Bistro Kitchen,” by Curtis Crain, oil, 18 x 24 in. Best Nocturne
“Reds and Whites,” by Howard Friedland, oil, 18 x 14 in.
“Hidden in the Woods,” by Deborah Tilby, oil, 16 x 20 in. Best Water
The winner of each bi-monthly contest is featured in this e-newsletter and profiled on OutdoorPainter.com. Sue Simpson Gallager, the owner of Simpson Gallagher Gallery in Cody, Wyoming, will jury the current contest, which has a deadline of March 15. This is the last chance for painters to become eligible to win the grand prize for 2015. Enter now at the Salon’s website.
