Artist Skip Whitcomb has revealed his selections for the winners in the November 2023 PleinAir Salon.
First place will receive a cash prize, plus all winners will be entered into the judging for the annual cash prizes, including the $15,000 grand prize for the best painting of the year, and they’ll see their painting on the cover of PleinAir® Magazine. Could you be the next winner?
“Art competitions can be important if one wants to get a sense of where their work stands among their peers,” Skip said. “But there needs to be a full understanding that opinions of judges vary widely with individuals and cannot be taken personally. Competitions can lead to awards and recognition. If one is engaged in the art world, competitions are a fact of life. Don’t let the judgments, good or ill, dramatically affect your commitment to the journey.
“If one is considering entering work in a competition, make certain that the image is of the highest quality, a professional quality photograph! Many works are juried out of shows because of the poor quality of the photo. If the judge(s) or juries cannot get a true sense of the work then it often is rejected.
“Above all, make sure you are submitting the very best work you are capable of doing at that moment in your career.”
PleinAir Salon Winners Preview:
1st Place Overall: Endless Agate Beach
“The Josenhans water painting is a beautiful orchestration of natural shapes and color harmonies,” said Skip. “It is woven together with lost and found edges and values that move the viewer through an exciting journey of the entire surface of her canvas. It’s an outstanding example of what Whistler referred to as ‘visual poetry.'”
2nd Place Overall: Last Field to Plow
“Robert Spooner’s western-themed piece is a refreshingly contemporary interpretation of an age-old subject,” Skip continued. “His color harmonies are thoughtful orchestrations, equally refreshing, and adventurous. His paint handling is bold, confident, and unapologetic, visually dynamic. It is a complete expressive statement.”
3rd Place Overall: High Altitude Vista
“‘High Altitude Vista’ is a masterful arrangement of shapes in a completely different approach than the Josenhans painting but no less masterful in the way she uses the form within forms to move the viewer’s eye through her compositions,” Skip said. “Carolyn’s intentional use of hard edges and the mosaic-like quality gives her work a remarkable and uniquely personal quality rarely seen in the medium.”
Best Plein Air Landscape: Past, Present and Future
Best Plein Air Acrylic: Purple House
Best Plein Air Oil: Glorious Spring
Best Plein Air Pastel: Gold Rustle
Best Plein Air Watercolor: June Snow
Enter the PleinAir Salon Today
The next round of the PleinAir Salon 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
