En plein air literally means “in the open air” and refers to the act of painting outdoors in the subject’s natural environment. This artistic style is meant to capture the natural light, mood, and weather of a particular moment rather than a studied work produced in a studio over time.
For one week each summer, the Frank Bette Center for the Arts celebrates the art form with the citywide Plein Air Paintout. This year the event, which took place July 28 through August 2, featured 40 juried artists painting all around Alameda and culminated with an awards ceremony and art sale hosted by South Shore Center.
Every year the event is tweaked and modified to meet the needs of the artists and the community. This year’s event also featured a Quick Draw three-hour paint on Grand Street, which was open to all artists. Winnie Choi, a San Francisco artist, was one of the winners of the Quick Draw for her piece titled Grand Street. Choi said she enjoyed the community nature of the event, meeting and painting with other artists. For her subject matter, she is drawn to shapes and structures and their interplay with nature.
Nutan Singh, a juried artist, said she looks for action, people, and an opportunity for storytelling when selecting subject matter. She also values busy areas with high-contrast lighting. Singh was the winner of the Alameda Award sponsored by the Alameda City Arts Grant for her piece titled, Walk This Way.
Linda Sol, a volunteer and student at the Frank Bette Center also participated in the Quick Draw where she scoped out a spot, looking for lines, color, and good energy. The Quick Draw also included Junior Artists, and Finn Daily was awarded the Junior Community Artist Award for his piece House with Plants.
The juried artists each submit five pieces for judging, and one piece can be created off-island during the expanded location paint day. On the island, the artists enjoy a wide range of themes to choose from including the waterfront, historic homes, gardens, the bird sanctuary, the USS Hornet, and street life.
This diversity of subject matter continues to draw artists such as Marti Walker from Sacramento, who participated for the twelfth time this year. She also cited the organizational prowess of the Frank Bette Center for running a smooth event, and their ability to provide guest housing for non-local artists as contributing factors. Walker was the winner of the Jack Richeson Award for her piece titled Dancing Grasses.
Cathy Xu, winner of the Alameda Award of Merit for her piece Late Afternoon China Camp, said she enjoyed the less dense spaces on Alameda and the juxtaposition of man-made objects with nature. And she already has ideas for next year.
Second year participant Carolyn Lord from Livermore found island hospitality in the form of the Italian Club which showed up for a pot luck at Lincoln Park where she was painting. They invited her to join them for food and a round of bocce ball. Her watercolor piece Lincoln Park Rose Garden won the Frank Bette Award.
Richard Lindenberg served as judge for this year’s event and was blown away with the talent of the group. “Stupendous watercolorists,” Lindenberg called the talent. “They were terrific.”
The awards were presented by Margaret Fago, President of the Board and Co-Chair of the event, and Alameda Mayor, Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft. This year Randall Stauss’s work Peace won the coveted Best in Show Award.
In addition to viewing the art work on display and for sale at the culminating event at South Shore Center, the public had the opportunity to watch painting demos in both gouache and oil, and to enjoy live music. The event ended with a Battle of the Brushes where teams of artists had one hour to create a painting from a photograph. The paintings were then auctioned off to the eager crowd with the proceeds going to support the Frank Bette Center for the Arts.
This Plein Air Paintout draws both artists and the community together to celebrate all that makes our island beautiful, welcoming, and unique. Those who are interested may support next year’s Plein Air art event by hosting an out-of-town artist for the week, volunteering at the awards ceremony and sale, purchasing art at the event, or making a donation to the Frank Better Center for the Arts. For more information, visit the Frank Bette Center website.
Kelly Rogers Flynt contributes reviews of theatrical productions and feature articles to the Alameda Post. Reach her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Kelly-Rogers-Flynt.
