For anyone who’s visited, lived, or worked on Long Beach Island, New Jersey, it’s easy to become enamored with the beauty of the ocean, beaches, and bay. Surely everyone has their favorite view, including a host of outdoor painters who received awards during the recent “Island Life: Plein Air Plus” exhibition.
On view at the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences through October 23, “Island Life: Plein Air Plus” is a magnetic display of New Jersey outdoor painting. Juried by Stewart White, artist and president of Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters of America, events also included a paint-out.
In 2017, there were two First Prizes: one for “classic” plein air and one for “Plein Air Plus,” a studio painting inspired by plein air. John Slivjak’s “Rising Tide” was the Plein Air Plus winner while Michael Budden’s “Evening Approach Study” was the classic winner. Susan Graeber’s “Salt Marsh Path” was the Second Prize winner, while Sandy Taylor’s “Morning on the Marsh” was the Third Place winner. For the People’s Choice, Peter Yesis’ “Ready to Go” was the winner. John T. Meehan III won the Passport to LBI Award for “Pathway to the Ocean,” and Apinya Srikhwanthong was the winner of the Art Committee Award for “Twilight on the Bay.”
Honorable Mention awards were given to Laurie Maher’s “Le Grand Fromage,” Crista Pisano’s “Sand Shadows,” and Neal Hughes’ “Working Boat.” For the exhibition, the art committee received 130 paintings from 35 artists to display.
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