R. Gregory Summers, a faculty member for the 2016 Plein Air Convention, recently snagged Best in Show and First Place — Oil at a plein air event.
Juror Marty Coulter named “Forget All Your Cares” by R. Gregory Summers Best in Show and First Place — Oil from among the 37 paintings competing in Paint Parkville, an event sponsored by the Missouri Valley Impressionist Society and Cathy Kline Art Gallery in Parkville, Missouri.
“What can be better than painting outdoors on a perfect autumn morning?” comments Summers. “I loved the experience of painting both of my entries into the event, gentle breezes rustling the leaves, and a coffee shop in sight. Both were painted from the same spot, and I could have painted more, but the winner titled ‘Forget All Your Cares’ was more of an exclamation point on how I feel when painting outdoors. I feel as an artist out painting en plein air, it’s not just the skill and technique, but my approach and attitude to each encounter. So I borrowed from Petula Clark’s ‘Downtown,’ forgetting all my troubles and all my cares.”
Summers is a featured instructor on the faculty of the Plein Air Convention, a gathering in a resort in Tucson, Arizona, organized by PleinAir magazine.
