Master Artist William A. Schneider has revealed his selections for the November 2025 PleinAir Salon art competition.
“My advice to artists entering the salon is: Don’t be shy about entering a good painting in several categories. When the jurying software calculated my initial rankings and sorted the results, I noticed that several paintings showed up in multiple classifications. When I went back over the results to make the awards it struck me that a particular piece might be one of ten strong paintings in one category, for example, ‘landscape,’ but only one of two in another, say ‘artists over 65.’ In other words, entering the same painting in several might dramatically increase your chances of winning!”
Scroll down to see the winning paintings and read William’s comments on his top picks.
PleinAir Salon Art Competition Winners Preview:
1st Place Overall: “Resonance”
“Whenever jurying a show, I don’t focus on subject matter but rather on the five basics of painting: shapes (drawing), values, color temperature relationships, edges, and composition. This seascape is strong in all five,” William said.
“The design was especially powerful; the lightest light of the wave splashing against the darkest dark of the rocks created a strong center of interest. The ‘arrow’ of dark rocks on the left, pointing to the center of interest, reinforced the composition. The edge treatment is also outstanding, ranging from the softness of the foam and spray (even when shrunken down to thumbnail size) to the razor-sharp edges on the rocks.”
2nd Place Overall: “Tatras, Snowdrifts”
“This snowscape is a visual delight! The temperature contrast between the warm light and cooler shadows on the snow is totally believable. Compositionally, the dark forest background against the top edge of the snow-covered branches below creates a beautiful and varied line that is a strong part of the design. I could sense the artist’s joy in painting this light-filled sunny day.”
3rd Place Overall: “Dune Shadows”
“I loved the way the artist made ‘something out of nothing’ here. The strong horizontal lines of the horizon and the green shape of the ocean are the perfect counterpoint to the diagonal lines of the shadow edge on the dune and the thin, strong darks of the vines moving across the shadow.
“Also, the temperature shift on the dune creates a convincing illusion of light and shadow without overstating the value contrast. Notice how the violet shadow shape on the dune is completely connected, and the smaller areas of sand in sunlight are either connected or pointing to each other, creating a ribbon of light moving through the painting.”
Plein Air Category Winners:
Enter the PleinAir Salon Art Competition Today
All winners in the PleinAir® Salon will be entered into the judging for the annual cash prizes, including the Grand Prize of $15,000 and their painting on the cover of PleinAir® Magazine. Could you be the next winner?
The next round has begun so hurry, as this competition ends on the last day of the month. See the rest of this month’s winners and enter your best art in the PleinAir Salon here.
And browse more free articles here at OutdoorPainter.com
