Plein Air Collector

Annual Salon Winner: “One of the Best of His Generation”

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Daniel J. Keys has won the Grand Prize in the 15th Annual PleinAir Salon (now known as The Salon Art Prize, and one of the most prestigious art prizes in the world). The Salon is the culmination of a yearlong competition that drew entries across 19 categories and every medium. Daniel’s winning painting, “Summertime” had already taken first place in the April 2025 monthly Salon before being automatically entered into the annual competition.

PleinAir Salon art competition - Daniel Keys, “Summertime,” Oil, 36x36 in. — Daniel J. Keys, “Summertime,” Oil, 36 x 36 in.

“As painters, we have to get away from thinking there’s some trick we just haven’t learned yet that’s going to make all the difference,” Daniel told the packed room at his demonstration during the 2026 Plein Air Convention & Expo (PACE) in the Ozarks*. “Great painters don’t know anything we don’t know. They’re just more skilled in the fundamentals — and that comes from study and practice.”

*For 2027, PACE will be held at Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, May 17-21! (learn more)

Plein Air Convention & Expo - Daniel J. Keys painting demonstration — Daniel J. Keys on the main stage during the Plein Air Convention & Expo (PACE): “To improve my painting, I go back to the fundamentals,” he said. “Going back is what propels me forward.”

April Judge J. Ben Whiteside, owner of The Red Piano Gallery, was unequivocal in his praise. “I have been a fan of his work since I first saw one of his paintings,” he said. “To me, the artist typically presents his florals within their natural environment — usually a detail of flowers in the field as opposed to a vista. I really enjoyed seeing his work in this collection and consider this artist to be one of the best of his generation.”

Daniel J. Keyes artist - PleinAir Salon / The Salon Art Prize — Each year at PACE, the Grand Prize winner is presented with their award during the high-energy Opening Ceremony; here, Daniel accepts his check. Soon, his painting will grace the cover of PleinAir Magazine.

PleinAir Salon art competition - Third Place Overall: Daniel Keys, “Hollyhock Garden,” Oil, 10x8 in. — Daniel J. Keys, “Hollyhock Garden,” Oil, 10 x 8 in. (PleinAir Salon, Third Place Overall in a 2025 monthly round)

Daniel J. Keys artist, “Camellias & Antique Tea Tin,” Oil, 16×12 in. — Daniel J. Keys has also won in the “Best Artist Under 40” category of the monthly PleinAir Salon with “Camellias & Antique Tea Tin,” Oil, 16 × 12 in.

Additional Winners

PleinAir Salon art competition - First Place Overall: J.M. Brodrick, “Southside,” acrylic, 30 x 24 in. — Second Place Overall: J.M. Brodrick, “Southside,” acrylic, 30 x 24 in.

PleinAir Salon - Third Place Overall: Richard Carter, “We Always Do,” oil, 42 x 33 in. — Third Place Overall: Richard Carter, “We Always Do,” oil, 42 x 33 in.

Additional winners will be announced soon at TheSalonArtPrize.com …

After 15 years as the PleinAir Salon, the competition is being renamed The Salon Art Prize beginning with the 16th Annual Competition. The name change reflects what the competition has always been in practice: open to painters of every genre and medium, not just plein air. Studio painters, portrait painters, still life painters — all have always been eligible, but the old name left too many of them on the sidelines. The new name finally tells the whole story.

Along with the new name comes an expanded prize purse — growing from $50,000 to $65,000 — and a brand-new $15,000 grand prize specifically for studio painters. Same prestige. Bigger stage. A name that belongs to everyone. Enter your best work here!