Plein Air winners weather the elements to find success

Published 5:00 am Sunday, March 18, 2018

By Vicky Branton

The Daily Iberian

An unusually cool opening day and unexpected rainy closing day, nor windy bright blue skies in between could not deter the 36 Plein Air artists roaming the Teche Area last week leading up to Friday night’s awards presentation. Cash prizes totalling $6,500 were given out plus more than $300 in art supply gift certificates.

Erik Koeppel from Jackson, New Hampshire, was this year’s Plein Air judge and instructor. A traditional New England based landscape painter, he became a leader in the revival of the techniques and philosophy of the Hudson River School, a method used by many of the masters. His highly naturalistic paintings are created without the use of photography. 

“The demo yesterday was fabulous and he did this tree in an hour. He had so much detail he could have stopped but he worked a few more minutes, maybe and hour and a half. It was beautiful detail but only an illusion of the detail,” said Mary O. Smith, an artist raised in Louisiana visiting from Georgia to paint. 

“We were all so quiet just watching him do his strokes. A lot of painters paint the lights last, he painted them first,” she said.

A painter for more than 20 years, he has been judging Plein Air about six years, because of the appreciation of his 19th century style. Although he admitted choosing the winners is hard for any judge, his commentary for each painting chosen was affirmation not only for the winners, but instruction for the fellow competing artists. Each judge has his own reasons for choosing the ones receiving ribbons and gifts. 

“Everybody has been so hospitable, New Iberia has beautiful and unique character, old world here with feelings of another time. Very unique beauty. I’m very happy to be here,” Koeppel said. 

New to this year’s competition was a Mayor’s Award given thanks to an anonymous donor for the purchase of a painting in a specific price category. The chosen picture will hang at City Hall and organizers hope that the tradition will continue for years to come. 

Winners for the 2018 Shadows-on-the-Teche Plein Air Art Exhibit and Auction are as follows.

BEST OF SHOW National Trust for Historic Preservation Prize — Suzie Baker for “Sanctuary”

2ND PLACE — Richard Sneary for “Sugar Co-op”

3RD PLACE — Moncus Family Foundation Award — Craig Reynolds for “Miss Debbie”

4TH PLACE — Sherri Thomas for “End of the Day”

MAYOR’S AWARD — Spencer Meagher for “Down on Main Street”

HONORABLE MENTION — Billy Solitario for “Rain Over St. Martinville, Mary Monk for “Fortunate Mistakes” 

RAYMAR AWARD — David Gary for “Bayou Cypremort”

JUDSONS ART OUTFITTERS — Harold Letz for “Sunlit Oaks” and Auseklis Ozols for “Survivor”

CHEAP JOE’S ART STUFF — Troy Large for “Rice Works”

Other artists participating included Deborah Bacon, Amy Collins, Ron Cutrera, Tony Cutrera, Kathy Daigle, Claude Ellender, Amie Gonser, Wendy Hazey, Ken Hopel, Darlene Johnson, Betty Liles, Tamara Lindsay, DK Palecek, Phil Sandusky, Glinda Schafer, Andrea Schellman, Linda Shannon, Mary O. Smith, Ann Sutton, Patricia Sweet, Peg Usner, Gwen Voorhies, Robin Wllner, Marcia Willman and Jeromy Young.

This year’s presenting sponsors were the National Trust for Historic Preservation and The James Devin Moncus Family Foundation. Other sponsors include Community First Bank, Iberia Parish Convention & Visitors Bureau and Plein Air Magazine.

Special thanks went to Lauren Sansaricq, Becky and Wyatt Collins, Paul Schexnayder, Ted Viator, Patricia Gannon, Vicky Branton at The Daily Iberian and Blick Art Materials. The Plein Air Committee members are Jerome Weber, Joy Maher, Kathy Chassee, Michael Weber and Liz Terrell. Big thanks from the committee and artists to the local residents who shared their homes with some of the artists.