What makes an award-winning painting? Lots of things, but subject matter, at least, can be as varied as you can imagine. Among the winning paintings that Master Artist Kathleen Dunphy selected for the June 2024 PleinAir Salon Awards, were 20 category winners, each of whom will receive a $50 cash prize and chance to win the 14th Annual PleinAir Salon Art Competition to be awarded at the Plein Air Convention & Expo in May 2025.
Among the category winners were the following:
Vedetta Notturna by Rosanna Gaddoni (Netherlands), Charcoal, 26.5×20 in.
(Best Animals & Birds)
Rosanna Gaddoni’s dramatically lit nocturne cum owl portrait leaves one with the eerie feeling of being watched from the shadows. The technique goes back to the Italian Baroque period (1600s) and the art of the “outlaw” genius, Caravaggio.
Field Blooms, by Deliece Blanchard, Oil, 12×16 in. (Best Artist Over 65)
Deliece Blanchard’s Field Blooms is remarkable for the subdued color harmonies the artist coaxes from the limited palette.
By the Volleyball Court by Meisha Grichuhin, Oil, 11×14 in. (Best Artist Under 40)
Walking in Your Landscape, Christine Code (Canada), Oil, 24×36 in. (Best Clouds & Sky)
Casey “After the Dance” by Annie Murphy-Robinson, Charcoal, 59×42 in.
(Best Drawing)
Wallace by Casey Baugh, Oil, 12×12 in. (Best Figure & Portrait)
Office Still Life by Ryan Jensen, Oil, 24×24 in. (Best Floral)
Leave the Nightlight On by Kirk Larsen, Oil, 12×24 in. (Best Nocturne)
Morning Song No 10
Kerk Hwang Lok, Watercolor, 22×15 in.
Best Vehicle
Surge by Matthew Cutter, Oil, 24×36 in. (Best Water)
Quaking by Bill Farnsworth, Oil, 22.5 x 30 in. (Best Western)
The monthly PleinAir Salon rewards artists with over $50,000 in cash prizes and exposure of their work. A winning painting, chosen annually from the monthly winners, is featured on the cover of PleinAir magazine. The deadline is ongoing, so visit PleinAirSalon.com
August PleinAir Salon Judge
