This year the Art Renewal Center (ARC), introduced a new 9th category for Plein Air Painting in their 13th International ARC Salon Competition. Several of the winners and honorable mentions from this category are included in the 13th ARC Salon Exhibition, which will be on view at the Salmagundi Club (New York, NY) from September 21 through October 2, 2018 with the public opening event on Saturday, September 22.
Plein Air works included in the exhibition are “Vellecito Mountain Taos,” by Damien Gonzales, “Twilight Comes to a Western Town,” by Joseph McGurl, “Q Road Sunset,” by Jane Hunt, “Cove Patterns and Turtles Too!” by Mary Pettis, and “Rural Electrification,” by Joe Paquet.
Plein air painting is about painting on site and creating beautiful scenes fully from life in a natural setting. Its origins started centuries ago as a way to capture color and light, and works created in this method were often used by artists as reference sketches when creating academic studio works. However, this style of painting took on a life of its own, becoming a favorite of the French Impressionists. Their desire to paint light and its changing, ephemeral qualities, married with the creation of transportable paint tubes and the box easel, allowed artists the freedom to paint “en plein air,” which is the French expression for “in the open air.” Although this category is most often associated to landscape paintings, figurative works that were also painted en plein air, are encouraged in this category. Co-Chair and Chief Operating officer of the ARC, Kara Lysandra Ross says, “We are proud to have added this important historical genera to the ARC Salon.”
After the show closes in NY, the exhibition will then travel to Sotheby’s, Los Angeles where it will be on view from December 4-13, 2018 with the opening reception on December 4. The show will then travel to the MEAM Museum, Barcelona, Spain from February 8 – March 31, 2019, with the opening event and award ceremony on February 8th.
This year the ARC Salon Exhibition will consist of 89 contemporary realist works selected from over an original 3,750 entries from 69 countries. A prestigious realist art competition, the International ARC Salon offers over $100,000 in cash awards and international recognition through partnerships with prestigious magazines, galleries, museum exhibitions, and a strong online presence. Entries to the 14th ARC Salon Competition will be accepted from December 1, 2018 – March 15, 2019.
Hard to beat Joe McGurl’s work.