Master artist Thomas W. Schaller has revealed his selections for the July 2025 PleinAir Salon Awards. Each of the 22 winners is now entered for a chance to win the 15th Annual PleinAir Salon Art Competition, to be awarded at the Plein Air Convention & Expo in May 2026.
The Grand Prize winner will receive a check for $15,000 and have their winning painting featured on the cover of PleinAir Magazine.
Scroll down to see the winning paintings and read Thomas’s comments on his top picks.
PleinAir Salon Art Competition Winners Preview:
1st Place Overall: “Southside”
“A lyrical intersection of prose and poetry elevates this work,” Thomas said. “The solidity of an everyday urban scene is secondary to the overwhelmingly beautiful and ephemeral atmospherics. Brilliant editing, outstanding brushwork, intriguing composition, and a deeply affecting understanding of light, color, and the illusion of space and perspective make this painting simply brilliant.”
2nd Place Overall: “The Card Game”
“The dialog of contrasts is particularly effective here. Light and dark, vertical and horizontal energies, warm and cool tonalities, stillness and expansiveness, are all so well composed. All these are coupled with a strong and expertly portrayed sense narrative.”
3rd Place Overall: “Remembrance”
“Exquisite technique may not be sufficient for a work to excel. But when a high skill level is coupled with elevated taste and sensibility – as is the case here – magic can happen.”
Plein Air Category Winners:
“Paintings speak a silent language,” Thomas said. “And as such, we painters can too easily become insular and lost in ourselves. But there is a beautiful and supportive community of like-minded souls just waiting to hear what you and your work has to say. I encourage my fellow artists to put themselves and their work out there in whatever way feels comfortable to do so. Entering the PleinAir Salon is such a positive and easy way to begin, or to continue, your artistic journey. You may not always hear what you may wish, and you may not always have your work accepted, but it will remind you that you are not alone. It will make you stronger. And I promise, it will make you a better painter.”
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 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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