Shadows-on-the-Teche’s fifth annual plein air competition is gearing up to take place in March, with 30 artists set to compete. 

“We’re excited it’s in its fifth year,” Shadows-on-the-Teche Director Pat Kahle said Wednesday. “We’re also excited about the amount of enthusiasm from people in the community.”

The annual competition brings in plein artists across the country to paint the week away in some of Iberia Parish and Acadiana’s most scenic locations. 

The artists for this year’s competition include Richard Abraham, Suzie Baker, Amy Collins, Linda Dellandre, Jon Eenigenburg, Claude Ellender, Fran Ellisor, Jane Flanders, David Gary, Susan Greaves, Kim Hall, Dawn Koetting, Fran Mangino, Sydney McGraw, Mary Monk, Debbie Myers, Tim Oliver, Lawrence Rudolech, Phil Sandusky, Lauren Sansaricq, Mary O. Smith, Richard Sneary, Gregory Summers, Sherri Thomas, Andrew Waller, Ann Warner, Chris Willey, Jeff Williams, Stephen Wysocki, and Jordan Zoscak.

According to a prepared statement from the Iberia Parish Convention and Visitors Bureau, a record-setting 73 applicants from 19 states applied for the competition. 

“We had a good sign in, 73 people,” organizer Jerome Weber said. “It’s growing every year in terms of gross entries. We limited it to 30 people, which is five less than last year, because of space.”

Artists competing will begin the competition March 9. Plein air is a type of painting that takes place in the open air and depicts landscape. The plein air competition in New Iberia has produced paintings depicting some of the scenic, unique landscape that Acadiana provides. 

It began with organizer Jerome Weber, a local plein air enthusiast who has studied plein air competitions across the country and sought to create a Teche Area-centered event that would bring in professional and amateur plein air artists. 

The results in past years have been enormously successful, with world-class plein air painters competing for the event. 

“The competition is really going to be great,” Weber said. “We’ve got people coming from all over the country. The individuals at the the competition are going to be really tough this year.”

The event also includes a free public program on plein air painting at the Shadows Visitor Center at 6:30 p.m. It will be followed by a painting demonstration in the Shadows Gardens on March 14 and a paint out open to all artists on March 15. 

On March 16, a Quick Draw competition will take place, with competitors only having two hours to complete a painting in downtown New Iberia. Participation is open to everyone, with a fee of $10. 

Weber said the Quick Draw competition is one of the new ideas for this year’s event, along with a nocturnal division for plein air artists. 

“I’m going to blow a horn at 9 (for the Quick Draw competition) and they have two hours to do a painting,” Weber said. “There’s something about watching people paint from scratch that people really find nice.”