Plein Air Painting Competition Brings Cash to the Table

Awards Structure Announced for the Smith Rock Paint Out

The organizers behind the second annual Smith Rock PaintOut have announced a change to this year’s event that should get some artist’s attention. Cash usually does that.

The Paint Out is a plein air painting competition open to all artists working in 2-D. At the end of the paint out, the artwork is submitted to the jury who judges the work and selects pieces to be exhibited in an exhibition at Redmond’s Roberts Fields/Redmond MunicipalAirport terminal.  Through partnerships and a grant secured by the High Desert Art League and Smith RockState Park, the event will now feature cash awards for the top three artists. The artist receiving Best of Show will receive $300; second place will garner $200; and third will be awarded $100. A Ranger’s Choice Award will be presented by Smith Rock State Park and Cascade A&E will award an A&E Choice Award, respectively each of these winners will receive a gift certificate from Sage Custom Framing & Gallery and Pacific Art and Framing.

The public is encouraged to visit for the day or even just an hour-or-two, to experience this unique opportunity. The Smith Rock Paint out is June 21^st, 2014 from 8:00am to 3:00pm at Smith Rock State Park in Terrebonne, Oregon.  Artists are encouraged to preregister online for this free event at www.smithrockpaintout.com.  The artwork selected by the jury will be on exhibit and for sale at Redmond, Oregon’s beautiful Roberts Field/Redmond Municipal Airport terminal. The show will run Tuesday, June 24 to Monday, August 17 2014. For more information on the event and Smith Rock State Park visit www.smithrockpaintout.com.

Time for Art Workshops!

Lessons from two famous Artists 

ERIC    5 - 19 - 14        I'd been Waiting for that DAY! - the art workshop day with Eric Jacobson. He's a well known plein air artist who was invited by Plein Air Painters of Oregon (PAPO) to teach both a 3 day and a 1 day workshop to its members. We all met at Dillon Falls  south of Bend on the Deschutes River to enjoy an oil painting demo by Eric of the meadow and distant trees. The sky was low and gray, and a mist hung in the air, and when it finally began to rain we all huddled together under umbrellas watching Eric produce a tiny jewel of a painting.

Eric Jacobson

       

 As the rain came down harder a new plan for the day had the group driving in-line to Shevlin Park where we could paint under the shelter. The rain stopped, the sun peeked through briefly, and the artists all had a productive day, each finishing up with 2 paintings. 

Eric's jewel - an 8X10 Oil

Shevlin Park Aspens - Vivian's effort

DAWN  6 - 5 - 14         Another day dawns -  It's June and time for the 3 day workshop with Dawn Emerson in her new Terrebonne studio. Dawn is Famous for her innovative paintings with pastel and mixed media and she's also a veteran teacher who taught us, her 6 students, her amazing techniques and style. At least we got to see them and try them! The first day began with a demo of a veiled woman in charcoal - the basics to begin with - then it was our turn with the charcoal. 

Dawn Emerson and her charcoal woman to the right

The next 2 days passed in a similar  fashion with step by step teaching demos which we tried to copy using different subjects but drawn using the same techniques. We did many pastel and charcoal works using either photographs or 2 live models. I learned SO MUCH! - but now I'm on my own!! Oh!

Here is our model and the drawing I did.  Vivian Olsen

Central Oregon Artist and the Barnyard Boss

Oil Painters of America 2014 Western Regional Exhibition

Central Oregon artist Barbara Slater has been accepted into the Oil Painters of America 2014 Western

Regional Exhibition with her oil painting entitled "Barnyard Boss,” 30x30 on gallery wrap canvas. The show is being hosted by Mountainsong Galleries, located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Paintings will hang from August 30 through September 30, 2014. 

The Oil Painters of America (OPA) is a national organization dedicated to the preservation of representational art. The Juror of Awards for this regional show is internationally renowned master painter Marilyn Simandle.  There are a total of 107 paintings that have been selected from entries submitted from 27 eligible states and provinces. What the juror is looking for is confidence in the handling of paint, composition, design, color, value, movement; an overall looking at paint manipulation and how edges are done.

A member of the Oil Painters of America, the California Art Club and the High Desert Art League, Barbara is represented by galleries in Utah and Oregon and has collectors throughout the United States. Barbara had a thirty-five year career in education. She was also a children’s book illustrator and an advertising and graphic design artist.