Prospectus
Solomons Plein Air Festival 2016
September 12-18, 2016
Hosted by carmen’s gallery
EVENT PROSPECTUS
The Solomons Plein Air Festival is unique in that it offers the artists such diversity in painting subject matter. Solomons Island is an historic fishing village where working boats of the Chesapeake Bay were built in the 1800s. Recently, it was chosen by Coastal Living Magazine as “one of the top 15 happiest seaside towns in the U.S.” It is located just an hour from the Beltway in D.C. at the "other end of Pennsylvania Avenue" where the Patuxent River meets the Chesapeake Bay. It is now a picturesque mix of workboats, pleasure boats, marinas, old fishermen's cottages, rural farmland, and quaint architecture with a few shops scattered amongst historic waterfront buildings. Stand in one spot on the Solomons Riverwalk and you can paint any of these things and more.
The Solomons Plein Air Festival allows artists the opportunity to enjoy not only painting but sharing their creativity with the public. To the viewers, this art form can be very exciting because it invites them into the creative process: the sight, sound, and even smell of the artists' world. The competitive side of the process pits artists against each other for monetary prizes awarded after 4 days of painting "en plein air" (outside on location).
The Awards: Cash awards will be given for “Best of Show” as well as 2nd, and 3rd place and the Artists’ Choice Award. Additional awards may be presented at the committee’s discretion. Last year’s awards equaled over $11,000, with “Best of Show” winning $3500. Artists were given additional awards including an ad in Plein Air Magazine, and gift certificates.
Special Events planned for the Artists: One of the things that sets the Solomons Plein Air painting competition apart from others is the hospitable nature of the town. From the host families to the special events offered, artists are welcomed and made to feel part of the community. The SPAF committee arranges social activities nightly for those artists wishing to participate. These events tentatively include watching sailboat races on a sunset schooner or yacht cruise, evenings of fun at the local restaurants and bars, complimentary refreshments during the painting times, a culminating Chesapeake Bay cruise on a local Skipjack.
Juror: Valerie Craig
Valerie Craig is known for her impressionist approach to color and light, and her subject matter includes urban and rural landscapes as well as intimate still life paintings, and figures within a landscape. Craig has had more than thirty years in the field to date, painting in both watercolor and oils. Like most artists, Craig continues to be a student of art, always reaching for a higher level of excellence, while discovering and expressing her own voice. Honors include Gold/Mayor's Choice Award Ireland's 2013Art in the Open Festival; Grand Prize in the American Women Online Juried Competition, Best in Show in the 2011 and 2008 Wayne Plein Air Competition, Second Place in 2013 Wayne Plein Air, Second Place in 2011 Plein Air Easton, Artists' Choice Award in 2010 Plein Air Easton , First Place 2009 Wayne Plein Air Festival, and Second Place, 2009 American Women Artists' Show.