Artist Kathy Anderson judged the August-September contest in the PleinAir Salon, awarding 20 honors, including a First Place winner with an unusual vantage point.
Deborah Tilby painted a view of a harbor from above in “Twelve Small Boats” and earned First Place for it. Michele Byrne won Second Place with “Evening Light on Lighthouse Overfalls,” while Third Place went to Carol Jenkins for “Late Afternoon.”
“Evening Light on Lighthouse Overfalls,” by Michele Byrne, oil, 16 x 20 in. Second Place
“Late Afternoon,” by Carol Jenkins, oil, 20 x 24 in. Third Place
“Fortress Cove,” by Rick Delanty, acrylic, 30 x 40 in. Best Acrylic
“Russet and Honey,” by Erin Dertner, oil, 24 x 48 in. Best Oil
In the awards for various media, Rick Delanty won Best Acrylic with “Fortress Cove,” Erin Dertner won Best Oil for “Russet and Honey,” Nancie King Mertz won Best Pastel with “It’s How We Ride,” and Thomas Bucci won Best Watercolor with “City Hall, Philadelphia.”
“It’s How We Ride,” by Nancie King Mertz, pastel, 24 x 20 in. Best Pastel
“City Hall, Philadelphia,” by Thomas Bucci, watercolor, 11 x 15 in. Best Watercolor
“Still Life Study,” by Minh Nghiem, acrylic, 18 x 24 in. Best Student
“Siesta,” by Becky Porter, oil, 12 x 16 in. Best Artist Under 30
The Salon also gives awards based on subject matter. In the August-September contest, Best Plein Air was won by Miguel Malagon for “Katie’s Door,” Best Building went to Carole Rafferty for “London SW1,” Best Figure in the Landscape was won by Ned Mueller for his gouache “Tying Up — San Blas,” Best Floral went to Kaye Franklin for “Geraniums With Peace Lily,” S. Pamela Reese took Best Landscape with “Vermont Icefall,” Best Nocturne was won by Sue Smith for “Moonrise,” Jeanette LeGrue’s “Valentina” won Best Outdoor Still Life, and Tony D’Amico’s stunning “Low Tide at Siesta Key” was tapped for Best Water.
“Avalon Harbor Early Morning,” by Randy Sprout, pen-and-ink with acrylic, 9 x 12 in. Best Artist Over 65
“Katie’s Door,” by Miguel Malagon, oil, 9 x 12 in. Best Plein Air
“London SW1,” by Carole Rafferty, oil, 30 x 40 in. Best Building
“Tying Up—San Blas,” by Ned Mueller, gouache, 11 x 14 in. Best Figure in the Landscape
You may not have noticed that PleinAir magazine recently added several new categories to the PleinAir Salon, which we did indeed do. Best Sketchbook was won by Richard Sneary for “Adirondacks Sketch 1,” Best Vehicle was won by Timothy Horn for “As the Crow Flies,” Best Student was won by Minh Nghiem For “Still Life Study,” Best Artist Under 30 went to Becky Porter for “Siesta,” and Best Artist Over 65 was won by Randy Sprout for “Avalon Harbor Early Morning.”
“Geraniums With Peace Lily,” by Kaye Franklin, oil, 11 x 14 in. Best Floral
“Vermont Icefall,” by S. Pamela Reese, oil, 20 x 16 in. Best Landscape
“Moonrise,” by Sue Smith, oil, 8 x 10 in. Best Nocturne
“Valentina,” by Jeanette LeGrue, oil, 11 x 14 in. Best Outdoor Still Life
The PleinAir Salon consists of six bi-monthly contests, with the First, Second, and Third Place winners of each contest, and the category winners, automatically entered into the annual competition. First prize in the annual competition is $15,000 cash and the publication of the winning image on the cover of PleinAir magazine, along with a feature story. Second Place earns an artist $3,000 and an article in the digital edition of PleinAir magazine. Third Place yields $1,500 in cash. Three additional finalists win $500. Aside from First, Second and Third Place overall, categories include Best Oil, Best Pastel, Best Watercolor, Best Acrylic, Best Plein Air, Best Building, Best Figure in the Landscape, Best Floral, Best Landscape, Best Outdoor Still Life, Best Nocturne, Best Water, Best Vehicle, Best Sketchbook, Best Artist Over 65, Best Student, and Best Artist Under 30.
“Low Tide at Siesta Key,” by Tony D’Amico, oil, 14 x 11 in. Best Water
“As the Crow Flies,” by Timothy Horn, oil, 18 x 24 in. Best Vehicle
“Adirondacks Sketch 1,” by Richard Sneary, watercolor, 5 x 6 in. Best Sketchbook
Did you know that the PleinAir Salon just got a little richer in prizes? There have long been big annual prizes, but now artists earn cash for the top prizes in the bimonthly contests. The First Place winners in the six yearly contests each earn $1,000, with $500 going to Second Place and $250 going to the Third Place winners. The winner of each bi-monthly contest is also featured in this enewsletter and profiled on OutdoorPainter.com. In mid-April, the $21,000 in annual prizes will be awarded to the annual winners at the 2017 Plein Air Convention & Expo, in San Diego, California.
The next deadline is November 30, and C.W. Mundy is the judge. Enter now.
