For its 14th year, the annual Palouse Plein Air painting exhibition received and now features 104 pieces of artwork from 46 artists that highlight familiar outdoor spaces found throughout Latah and its neighboring counties.
Approximately 70 guests and community members attended the exhibition’s reception at the Third Street Gallery Thursday evening which recognized a handful of artists and their work during an awards ceremony.
William E. Elston of Snohomish, Wash. acted as the juror for the reception and determined the following group of prizewinning artists:
1st Place: Ramie Erickson, “Wheat fields of Kamiak”
2nd Place: Tom Groesbeck, “Fall Color”
3rd Place: Timothy Cawley, “Fair”
Best Palouse: Val Pate, “Steptoe Butte Late Afternoon”
Best Downtown: Sydney Speck, “Riverview”
Best Historical: Jamie Sugai, “David’s Deconstruction”
Best Lil’ Painting: KJ Elmose, “Little Angels”
Honorable Mentions:
Marcelle Moe, “Summer Stroll”
Paige Shumway, “Too Green”
Olivia Pham, “Trafic Trafiky”
Kelsey Harrington, “Gold as the Night goes on”
Elston, a reputable artist with an extensive background in art and plein air painting, made his judgements and selected the honorees on a premise of “technique before strength, and spirit before technique.”
Megan Cherry, Moscow’s arts program manager who helped coordinate the event, announced two additional paintings that the City of Moscow purchased for its permanent collections. Artwork in these collections are periodically seen on display in city buildings.
The two artists chosen, and their respective pieces were:
Ashleigh Streiff, “Morning Greeting The Hello Walk”
Rose Graham, “South Moscow”
Creating a masterpiece “en plein air”, a French expression meaning in the “open air,” denotes a special type of painting practice where an artist will paint outdoors in accordance with the surrounding landscape.
The paintings submitted for this year’s exhibition beautifully illustrate some of Moscow’s most quintessential scenery, from its rolling hills shrouded in golden wheat to its downtown cityscapes intersected by brick facades and telephone poles, and are also available for purchase.
The comradery felt among the artists was apparent both before and after awards were given out. Harrington, spotted laughing alongside Pham and Elmose following the reception, was surprised to receive her honorable mention but was appreciative of the recognition she received for her second attempt at “plein air” painting.
This year, Harrington enjoyed experimenting with color and including more playful details in her piece, like leaves blowing in the wind. She chose to paint “en plen air” on a hilltop overlooking the whole community.
“I really liked how the light was just glowing off of the space,” said Harrington. “I thought it was really cute.”
Aaron Johnson, an art professor at the University of Idaho, helped start the Palouse Plein Air event in 2010, fostering a partnership between UI’s College of Art and Architecture and the Moscow Arts Commission. Johnson, who picked Elston as juror, expressed his gratitude for the continued support of the event from participants and spectators alike.
The “plein air” pieces will remain on display in the Third Street Gallery, located on the second and third floors of Moscow City Hall, until next Friday, October 6. A digital gallery is expected to appear online sometime this week as well.
Herman Roberts can be reached at [email protected]