The "Raging" Power of the PleinAir Salon Winner ~ The Art's Big Glass Of Wine

Wednesday, October 5th, 2022

The "Raging" Power of the PleinAir Salon Winner

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Lori Putnam – our 10th Annual PleinAir Salon Grand Prize winner – has revealed her selections for the winners in the PleinAir Salon monthly art competition.

Congratulations to the winners of the August 2022 PleinAir Salon!

First place will receive a cash prize, plus all winners will be entered into the judging for the annual cash prizes, including the $15,000 grand prize for the best painting of the year, and they'll see their painting on the cover of PleinAir Magazine. Could you be the next winner?

PleinAir Salon, August 2022 Winners Preview:

1st Place Overall: Raging Spring

"There was never any question that this piece was worthy of the top-most award," Lori said. "Besides being immediately breathtaking, it has everything that all of us work to achieve: impeccable design, beautiful color harmony, and the drawing and edges are flawlessly executed. I am drawn in, right there, then travel about throughout the entire painting. I can feel the mist, and the power of the rushing water is so strong, that I want to step back from the edge to safety. Masterfully done."

Keep reading to see more of the winners and comments from juror Lori Putnam:

Kimball Geisler, "Raging Spring," oil, 45 x 72 in.

2nd Place Overall: Rows of Fluffy Fluffiness

"I was first struck by the abstract and well-balanced design of this painting. It is at the same time both freely and perfectly painted. The darling girl's face is a wonderful example of how subtly the form can be turned when the artist has the skills and understanding. Magnificently incorporated are the cotton bolls which echo the colors used in the skin tones and allow the artist to lose edges. This places the girl into the scene, rather than having her feel pasted on top of it."

Dani Wheeler, "Rows of Fluffy Fluffiness," oil, 16 x 20 in.

3rd Place Overall: Q Road Sunset

"This artist recognizes the power of neutral mixtures. The sky colors glow with vibrancy but are not garish. These moments are fleeting, and the brushwork helps us to feel that. Restrained values in the ground plane, trees, and farm provide a solid foundation and support the expanding clouds. All of the edges within that lower third of the painting are lost. It takes us a while to take a look and find what is there. Then we see the barn's roof and how it is gently connected to the cloud pattern, absolutely brilliant."

Jane Hunt, "Q Road Sunset," oil, 10 x 16 in.

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Best Plein Air Landscape: String of Pearls

Rick J. Delanty, "String of Pearls," oil, 12 x 16 in.

Best Plein Air Still Life: Miller Time

Charles Newman, "Miller Time," oil, 36 x 24 in.

Best Plein Air Acrylic: Down By The River

Charles Scogins, "Down by the River," acrylic, 18 x 24 in.

Best Plein Air Oil: Klenke's Chair

Danny Griego, "Klenke's Chair," oil, 9 x 12 in.

Best Plein Air Pastel: Lovers Point Blues

Terri Ford, "Lovers Point Blues," pastel, 8 x 10 in.

Best Plein Air Watercolor / Gouache: At the Trough

Jim McVicker, "At the Trough," gouache, 9 x 17 in.

Advice for Entering Your Work in an Art Competition:

"Enter your very best and enter it in as many categories as it will fit logically," Lori said. "For instance, if you have a fabulous plein air painting of flowers and you are over 65, enter it in all four of those various categories (plein air, floral, plein air still life, over 65). As a judge, there were so many times a painting deserved an award, but fell just short of getting it in the category in which it was entered. I was disappointed when it was not also entered into a category that it could have won. And finally, if it is really a great painting, enter it again the next month and the next. It only takes just the right judge and just the right number of entries in any given category for yours to bubble to the top."

View the rest of the PleinAir Salon winners soon at pleinairsalon.com.

The next round of the PleinAir Salon has begun so hurry, as this competition ends on the last day of the month. Enter your best art in the PleinAir Salon here. Note: Judges are not provided with contestant names.

New This Year! We're now offering a People's Choice Award in each monthly cycle, with a prize of $100! (When you enter your painting, you'll be able to "promote your artwork" with a special link.)

About the PleinAir Salon:

PleinAir Magazine presents the 12th annual PleinAir Salon Art Competition. In the spirit of the French Salon created by the Academie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, this annual online competition, with 11 monthly cycles, leading to the annual Salon Grand Prize winners, is designed to stimulate artistic growth through competition. The competition rewards artists with over $33,000 in cash prizes and exposure of their work, with the winning painting featured on the cover of PleinAir Magazine.

Winners in each monthly competition may receive recognition and exposure through PleinAir Magazine's print magazine, e-newsletters, websites, and social media. Winners of each competition will also be entered into the annual competition. The 12th Annual Awards will be presented live at the Plein Air Convention & Expo in May 2023.

Please Note: We are the PleinAir Salon because we were created by PleinAir Magazine, not because we are a strictly plein air art competition. We know there are a lot of plein air painters who paint in the studio as well as in other styles, subject matters, and mediums. Our magazine features all the artworks of these great plein air painters, and so we too allow non-plein air pieces to win as long as they meet the criteria of the category in which they enter.

Interview with Plein Air Salon Grand Prize Winners

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Plein Air Today Reader Spotlight: Fred Gregory

By CherieDawn Haas

Fred Gregory; Most of the following images are from the Plein Air Convention & Expo over various years

We love to hear from the Plein Air Today community! The following is part of a series that spotlights an artist who loves painting outdoors. Today's feature is on Fred Gregory, who is a frequent attendee at the Plein Air Convention & Expo.

Lightning Round with Fred Gregory

Favorite place to paint: San Diego Coast, San Diego Harbor, Balboa Park, Maui and the Rocky Mountains; in general, the coast, mountains, and rivers because "that's where I find serenity and fewer people asking questions."

Favorite Subject: The interaction of nature's power and the effects of sunlight and shadows.

Favorite medium: Oil

Favorite Mentor / Teacher: Mark Boedges; he has mastered the above subject.

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