Plein Air Magazine Salon Winners

I’d like to announce the winners of the July/August Plein Air Salon, hosted by Plein Air Magazine.

I was honored to be the juror for the competition. It was a difficult job with hundreds of excellent entries, but several works rose to the top on repeated viewings as exceptional examples of plein air artistry.


First place: “New Extended Hours” by Scott Lloyd Anderson of Minnesota.
A superb painting in every respect. Nice handling of the natural and artificial light, and fine control of detail module, putting just enough well-drawn detail where you need it. Bravo for choosing a subject that most people would pass by.



 Second Place “Red Buildings” by Shaun Horne of Colorado.
The artist warranted that the work was painted entirely in plein air. It's beautifully observed, particularly in the reflected light, and it goes way beyond what photography could ever capture. There's a confident design sense informing all the small and large forms.



Third Place “A Table Setting” by John Ball of Florida.
Very tasteful handling of the low window light and the rich darks. Good control of focus and highlights. It’s an unexpected subject, with an execution worthy of Sargent.

The semi-finalists include Rajesh Sawant, Scott Lloyd Anderson, Eleinne Basa, William Wray, Frank Strazzulla, Jason Tako, Jim Wodark, Tracey Maras, and Becky Joy.

Honorable mention awards went to to Stewart White, Ron Grauer, Colin Page, Scott Lloyd Anderson, and Mamie Walters. There were many other fine works, too many to mention here.


In this video, follow along with the grand prize winner, Scott Lloyd Anderson, as he paints a suburban landscape. (link to video.)

Read about the prizes and upcoming competitions at Plein Air magazine's blog.

Scott Anderson
Shaun Horne
John Ball