Master artist Jill Carver has revealed her selections for the winners in the February 2025 PleinAir Salon art competition. Scroll down to see the winning paintings and read Jill’s comments on her top picks.
PleinAir Salon Art Competition Winners Preview:
1st Place Overall: “Do Not Go Gentle”
“Artists have the power to make us see the world differently, to pay attention,” Jill said. “I would never have imagined that an irrigator could provide such a poetic motif. Sometimes it is the idea that elevates a winner from a portfolio of very accomplished and pleasing paintings.
“This beautifully nuanced and harmonious piece stopped me in my tracks – the idea and the execution. There is so much to see here: the sunset colors depicted not just once, but again in refracted form in the spray of water; the ghosts of receding water sprays creating vertical rhythms as they drift left to right. It does what a great painting should do, which is to conjure up real emotions – I held my breath, exhaled, and then stayed for a very long time.”
2nd Place Overall: “A Moment of Clarity”
“Such an exemplary example of design serving concept. The high horizon line embellishes the sense of height in the Falls. Juxtaposed to the sheer force and energy of the plummeting water (the prime motif), a secondary narrative of an evening sky adds a sense of calm. And then the genius of almost half the canvas being devoted to water spray, which both completes the story, but also provides a visual rest area. It is so beautifully balanced between these three areas of information. Masterful management!”
3rd Place Overall: “Waterbird Vista, Martinez”
“Here, an industrial subject is filtered through the acute observation of shape, rhythm, and color. Shapes are repeated, though never replicated; they lead us on a joyful path through and around. Even the angled shape in the top-right of the sky is thoughtfully mirrored bottom-left in the still water. The color choices are bold but also harmonious. And the transparency of the paint layers invites us to admire the process too, which adds a further dimension for the viewer. What is revealed there is excellent draftsmanship, confident color mixing, and engaging brushwork. An exciting piece!”
Plein Air Category Winners:
Call for Entries: The Salon Art Prize (formerly PleinAir Salon) offers $65,000 in cash prizes annually, and Grand Prize winners get their art on the cover of PleinAir or Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine. There are 19 categories to enter your artwork. Learn more at TheSalonArtPrize.com.
Announcement prepared for the web by Cherie Dawn Haas, Editor of Plein Air Today
