Mark D. Mitchell, Holcombe T. Green Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture at the Yale University Art Gallery, has revealed his selections for the winners in the January 2025 PleinAir Salon art competition. Scroll down to see the winning paintings and read Mark’s comments on his top picks.
PleinAir Salon Art Competition Winners Preview:
1st Place Overall: “The Yellow Flower (Den Gula Blomman)”
“The first place recipient transported me,” Mark said. “The steep perspective of the forest floor combines impression and detail in a marvelous demonstration of virtuosity that I couldn’t stop exploring. The painting creates a magical world of visual sensation.”
2nd Place Overall: “Emily’s Peonies”
“The still life that received second place integrates compositional grace with striking delicacy. The challenging forms, translucency, and color sensibility of the flowers and vases impressed me. Even the movement of color in the wall behind the peonies captured my attention.”
3rd Place Overall: “Cloudbreak”
“The winner of the third place award combined abstraction and figuration in a way that I found ambitious and rewarding. The movement of complex layers of clouds over and behind one another breathes life into the sky using a limited palette. The contrast in technique between the water and sky reinforced the painting’s sense of recession and vastness of space.”
Plein Air Category Winners:
Enter the PleinAir Salon 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 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.
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