Karen Hagan, owner of Hagan Fine Art Gallery, has revealed her selections for the winners in the PleinAir Salon monthly art competition.
Congratulations to the winners of the May 2022 PleinAir Salon!
First place will receive a cash prize, plus all winners will be entered into the judging for the annual cash prizes, including the $15,000 grand prize for the best painting of the year, and they’ll see their painting on the cover of PleinAir Magazine. Could you be the next winner?
PleinAir Salon, May 2022 Winners Preview:
1st Place Overall: The Edge
“I responded to [‘The Edge’] at first glance,” said juror Karen Hagan. “It has a movement that’s very exciting, taking the eye around and around the painting. When I’m jurying a show, I don’t look at titles or even size. In this painting, I saw great composition and sense of place paired with varied brush work. I loved the depth of field and the foreground detail leading to the gray mistiness of the background. Mostly it’s the movement that the artist captured that got my eye! It’s an exciting painting, one I’d like to see every day in my home.”
2nd Place Overall: There’s a Story
“There’s a Story”
“This one jumped out at me and initially I gave it an award within its category,” Karen said. “But when I looked back through the entries, this one was such a stunning work and had such engaging composition and feeling that I had to move its award up. I liked the placement of the sunset and again the brushwork had such variety in hard edges and soft edges. It’s like a good song. So much to see, and unforgettable.”
3rd Place Overall: Sunflowers and Sunlight, for Ukraine
“Sunflowers and Sunlight, for Ukraine”
“This painting exuded so much joy when I saw it!” Karen said. “It was an immediate love affair with the loose ‘unfinishedness’ of it that made it perfect. Sunflowers can be hard to paint and often are overpainted with too much detail. This painting made me happy and I felt the artist’s confidence when they laid down the strokes.”
Best Plein Air – Landscape: Lost World
Best Plein Air – Still Life: Summer Sun
Best Plein Air – Acrylic: Colliemore Harbour
Best Plein Air – Oil: Kalaloch Beach
Best Plein Air – Pastel: Early Summer, Late Afternoon
Best Plein Air – Watercolor / Gouache: Palm Trunk in the Sun
View the rest of the PleinAir Salon winners soon at pleinairsalon.com.
Note: Judges are not provided with contestant names.
The next round of the PleinAir Salon has begun so hurry, as this competition ends on the last day of the month. Enter your best art in the PleinAir Salon here.
New This Year! We’re now offering a People’s Choice Award in each monthly cycle, with a prize of $100! (When you enter your painting, you’ll be able to “promote your artwork” with a special link.)
About the PleinAir Salon:
PleinAir Magazine presents the 12th annual PleinAir Salon Art Competition. In the spirit of the French Salon created by the Academie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, this annual online competition, with 11 monthly cycles, leading to the annual Salon Grand Prize winners, is designed to stimulate artistic growth through competition. The competition rewards artists with over $33,000 in cash prizes and exposure of their work, with the winning painting featured on the cover of PleinAir Magazine.
Winners in each monthly competition may receive recognition and exposure through PleinAir Magazine’s print magazine, e-newsletters, websites, and social media. Winners of each competition will also be entered into the annual competition. The 12th Annual Awards will be presented live at the Plein Air Convention & Expo in May 2023.
Related Article > 3 Secrets to Winning Art Competitions
