QUICK DRAW!

In an act of charity, generosity, or whatever, the judge did something he says has never done before and would not normally do... he disqualified the previous winners of the competition for awards in the quick draw, opening up the field for the rest.

Every cowboy and cowgirl is attracted to the quick draw, even in Plein Air painting. Some fifty or so contestants shot it out at the En Plein Air TEXAS Quick Draw competition Saturday in San Angelo, and I wanted to share some of the winners...

Me with my scrawny Ft. Concho sketch. Some of us felt fortunate to get Honorable Mentions, given the depth of the competition...Thanks to Jim Rogers for the great photo!

Not the judge's winners, you understand, but mine... Each artist had the two hours between cannon sound to produce his or her entry. Here are some of the best paintings turned in after the cannons shot off and we had to stop. Very few of them won Quick Draw awards, as they were done by most of the previous winners on Friday, and the judge decided to spread around the love... Thank you very much!

Another impeccable watercolor by David Csont...

Not one of the "29", Liz Bonham painted one of my favorites. I believe she did win a prize for this. The artists not involved in the En Plein Air TEXAS Competition were judged separately in their own category.

Jonathan Gaetke has a unique eye and a powerful knack for design- taking this otherwise mundane scene and painting a compelling city-scape.

It was Jason Sacran who earned the ultimate compliment from the judge, having painted an award winning painting which the judge "wished he had painted." But I liked his quick draw entry even better. The young painter smacks of the same genius we all admire in Sargent and Schmid.

John P. Lasater IV will always be one of the contenders wherever he goes. He relishes in architecture, rich hues, and sometimes complex designs like this one, which would buffalo your average plein air enthusiast... Why is it the leaning utility poles look so charming in his paintings, yet in real life I see them as eyesores? That is the "artist's touch" we always talk about.

Myra Knapp produced "Junk and Disorderly" for the quick draw, and it is anything but. With a more contemporary approach to design, this painting is evidence of true painting skill, especially use of temperature, and a great feel for the abstract qualities every painting should have underneath.

Tina Bohlman made this engaging watercolor out at Fort Concho. I painted it twice during my week at San Angelo- and always found it difficult to find a decent arrangement of buildings, where the artist can show depth and create a "sense of place" as Paul Strisik always strived for... and she did it here.

Once again Ray Hassard takes away the top honors... he always finds beauty in unexpected places. All week, while others were looking at the same alleys and trails, he was exploring the veritable wastelands of forgotten industrial discards. Saturday morning he saw the reflections in this grid-like tattoo shop window as a great quick draw subject... but it needed some reds. He  moved his car so that it was reflected in the glass...

San Angelo Makes Art History

And I got to be there!

After a solid week of painting and partying, and then SELLING, what's not to love?

I've been talking about this art show for months, and now that it is over, I will never shut up about it. And I especially want to thank all of those who help put on this event. San Angelo just hosted a major plein air event that will set the bar for future such shows all across the southwest. 

The first annual En Plein Air TEXAS invitational competition was a smashing success on all accounts. 29 juried artists from 12 states (and France!) converged on San Angelo for four days of intensive outdoor landscape painting, to turn in their best two plein air sketches and compete for $13,000.00 in cash awards, and then sold over $100,000.00 worth of their freshly produced art! This overwhelming success surprised even its most optimistic supporters.

This kind of competition, on this scale, with these kinds of results is absolutely unprecedented. Not to mention that it was the most fun I have had in a long time. Here are some highlights of this event which made Texas art history!

Event judge Stephen Doherty (left), editor of Plein Air Magazine, visits with several artists at a catered luncheon on Thursday, hosted by Dr. & Mrs. David Harvey. Ray Hassard (far right) of Cincinati, Ohio, was to win the first place $3000.00 award.

Ray Hassard poses with the Judge and one of the show patrons

The artists were directed to sites all around the San Angelo area, including ranches, a winery, downtown San Angelo, and historic Fort Concho. Some painted as many as three or four paintings per day, searching for the winning composition. On Wednesday David Csont of Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania and I found this charming creek scene far in the outback of Tom Green County.

David Csont does his plein air landscapes in watercolor.

I waded across and painted about a hundred yards downstream , looking back at David...

Photo courtesy of Jim Rogers

Occasionally the artists would throw together impromptu exhibits wherever they were...

Notice all the different styles of paint boxes.

Transplanted Texan Melissa Arthur came all the way from Colorado to compete. She puts the finishing touches on the painting which would later earn her the coveted Artists Choice award.

Melissa smartly found refuge out of the wind and sun behind this truck brought by another artist. Plein air paintings are usually small, around 8 x 10 inches to 11 x 14 inches. The absolute limit in the competition is 20 x 24.

Ray Hassard loves to paint hay... hay in Ohio, hay in Texas... but he especially loves industrial subjects. He works in pastels, and achieves very intense hues and values with them.

Each artist brought not only luggage to cover a week of activities, in any kind of weather, but art supplies and frames for the paintings to be done. My Tahoe was packed to the ceiling.

Led by visionary Barbara Rallo, an amazing team of devoted volunteers made this event a golden moment for the participants. They made the highly unlikely seem routine. San Angelo has great people, great weather, and a great diversity of rich and inspiring subjects. Rallo and her sidekick Treva Boyd made it all come together.

Jimmy Longacre of Dripping Springs, Texas was one of around a dozen artists from the Lone Star State.

Joan Mertz was another cash award winner, and one of several local San Angelo artists invited to compete in the event. She is also the go-to girl for any question about local San Angelo history.

Floridian Karen Ann Hitt here uses an underpainting much like the old masters, as she starts a canvas depicting the cypress-lined creek that runs through the gorgeous Christoval Winery. 

 I managed to win an honorable mention at the "Quick Draw" on Saturday, saving my pride somewhat, but I felt lucky to just get into such a show. Another Texas artist confided in me that they felt pretty good about themselves until they saw the incredible competition... and the confidence turned into shame... It was humbling to see the fierce competition, some of the most talented painters in the country, cranking out fabulous art every few hours, as we got our artistic butts kicked. But we cannot ever get where they are until we face the challenge. This show made that happen. Many of us who were left in the San Angelo dust just raised the bar of our ambitions several notches. It was an enlightening experience, and that is a good thing.

Numerous bridges cross the Concho River while it meanders through San Angelo and provide infinite artistic opportunities. There is a stunning collection of public art along this corridor, which makes the search fun and inspiring.

The sights along this beautiful  little river have been barely explored...

Most of the artists at the show promised to return. San Angelo has a new goal: To be the Plein Air Capital of Texas!