Bob Malenfant, owner of Southwest Gallery in Dallas, chose the top winners and the category winners for the latest installment of the PleinAir Salon. Who did he pick?
The First Place winner is actually a painting duo: Evgeny and Lydia Baranov paint on the same canvas to create true collaborations. Their oil painting “Morning of the Little Dreamer” took the highest prize in the June/July contest of the PleinAir Salon.
“Morning of the Little Dreamer,” by Evgeny and Lydia Baranov, oil, 36 x 48 in. First Place
“Window Shopping,” by Jennifer Diehl, oil, 30 x 40 in. Second Place
“Lowtide — Mevagissey, England,” by Ned Mueller, oil, 16 x 20 in.
“Nowlin Farm,” by John Cook, oil, 8 x 16 in. Best Oil
Second Place was awarded to Jennifer Diehl for her oil “Window Shopping.” Third was won by Ned Mueller for his piece “Lowtide — Mevagissey, England.”
“Winter Creek,” by Lisa Stauffer, pastel, 18 x 12 in. Best Pastel
“North Coast Beach,” by Scott Anthony, acrylic, 12 x 16 in. Best Acrylic
“Backyards of Barcelona,” by Robert Cook, watercolor, 20 x 16 in. Best Watercolor
“Iguaçu Falls,” by Alexandre Reider, oil, 30 x 40 in. Best Landscape
“Three in a Row,” by Don Dernovich, watercolor, 21 x 29 in. Best Water
In the categories based on media, John Cook won Best Oil for “Nowlin Farm,” Lisa Stauffer won Best Pastel for “Winter Creek,” Robert Cook won Best Watercolor for “Backyards of Barcelona,” and Scott Anthony was the Best Acrylic winner with “North Coast Beach.”
“The Dance of the Vine,” by Helene Beland, oil, 24 x 30 in. Best Figure in a Landscape
“Via Roma,” by David Tutwiler, oil, 20 x 16 in. Best Building
Melanie Thompson’s painting “Around the Bend” earned her the Best Artist Under 30 award. Best Plein Air was won by Carl Bretzke for “December Sunset Near Farmers Market.”
“Waiting for a Bus,” by Han Jong Lee, oil, 14 x 18 in. Best Nocturne
In the award categories based on subject matter, Alexandre Reider won Best Landscape with “Iguaçu Falls,” Don Dernovich won Best Water with “Three in a Row,” and David Tutwiler took Best Building with “Via Roma.” Helene Beland won Best Figure in a Landscape with “The Dance of the Vine,” Best Nocturne was won by Han Jong Lee for “Waiting for a Bus,” Best Outdoor Still Life was earned by Mark Farina for “Pears & Crock,” and Best Floral went to Paula Holtzclaw for her oil painting “Orchids With Pears.”
“Orchids With Pears,” by Paula Holtzclaw, oil, 16 x 20 in. Best Floral
“Pears & Crock,” by Mark Farina, oil, 11 x 15 1/2 in. Best Outdoor Still Life
“Around the Bend,” by Melanie Thompson, oil, 24 x 30 in. Best Artist Under 30
In April, $21,000 in prizes will be awarded to the annual winners at the 2016 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.
The winner of each bi-monthly contest is featured in this e-newsletter and profiled on OutdoorPainter.com. The current contest has a deadline of September 30. Enter now at the Salon’s website.
