Skills in Drawing Techniques – and Evoking Emotions

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D. Eleinne Basa, Artist and 1st PleinAir® Salon Grand Prize Winner, has revealed her selections and comments for the winners in the May 2024 PleinAir Salon.

PleinAir Salon Winners Preview:

1st Place Overall: “Casey ‘Waiting'”

PleinAir Salon - Annie Murphy-Robinson, “Casey ‘Waiting’,” Charcoal, 26 x 42 in. — Annie Murphy-Robinson (California), “Casey ‘Waiting’,” Charcoal, 26 x 42 in.

“The first-place winner for me is this drawing. Drawings can show you the skill of the artist technically, but this one also shows the artist’s skills in terms of trying to elicit a viewer’s response. I see a beautifully rendered drawing of a young woman in thought, and this conveys good lighting and mood. For the top three, I tried to imagine if I saw them in person, in a room with the other pieces that I chose, which one would stand out and jump out at me.”

2nd Place Overall: “The Lower Flume”

PleinAir Salon - Don Demers, “The Lower Flume,” Oil, 16 x 20 in. — Don Demers (Maine), “The Lower Flume,” Oil, 16 x 20 in.

“The second place piece I chose due to the richness in color, the brushwork, and again, the technical ability of the artist to paint this complicated scene, and show delicate brushwork and good lighting. I love the harmony the artist was able to show in his color mixtures to convey the scene. Also, with it being plein air, it shows the artist’s technical skill.”

3rd Place Overall: “Mallorca Cathedral, Palma, Spain”

PleinAir Salon - Kevin Macpherson, “Mallorca Cathedral, Palma, Spain,” Oil, 10.5 x 13.5 in. — Kevin Macpherson (New Mexico), “Mallorca Cathedral, Palma, Spain,” Oil, 10.5 x 13.5 in.

“I chose this piece because of the artist’s skill in rendering such a complicated and hard subject matter, and doing it in plein air is also a testament to the artist’s mastery. I admired the brushwork that is almost abstract in places, but the variety in shape and color is what drew me to choose this piece.”

Best Plein Air Landscape: “Rockport Motif”

Christine Lashley, “Rockport Motif,” Oil, 12 x 24 in. — Christine Lashley (Virginia), “Rockport Motif,” Oil, 12 x 24 in.

Best Plein Air Acrylic & Gouache: “Sicily Style”

Kevin Macpherson, “Sicily Style,” Acrylic, 11 x 14 in.

Best Plein Air Oil: “Pashupatinath, Kathmandu”

Marcel Wissing Boada (Germany), “Pashupatinath, Kathmandu,” Oil, 19 x 25 in.

Best Plein Air Pastel: “First Peek of Spring”

Keith Demanche, “First Peek of Spring,” Pastel, 12 x 18 in. — Keith Demanche (New Hampshire), “First Peek of Spring,” Pastel, 12 x 18 in.

Best Plein Air Watercolor: “Xia He Nomad”

Kevin Macpherson, “Xia He Nomad,” Watercolor, 13 x 9 in.

Enter the PleinAir Salon Today

All winners 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.