The awards for the April 2025 PleinAir Salon Art Competition were announced on May 28th. The selections were made by judge, J. Ben Whiteside, owner of The Red Piano Gallery. The overall and category winners will now be included in the judging for the 15th Annual PleinAir Salon Competition being awarded in May 2026.
FIRST PLACE
Daniel Keys, Summertime
Oil, 36×36 in.
“To me, the artist typically presents florals within their natural environment. Usually a detail of flowers in the field as opposed to a vista. I really enjoyed seeing his work in this collection and consider this artist to be one of the best of his generation.”
SECOND PLACE
K. Henderson, The Making of a Cowboy
Oil, 24×18 in.
“On the second place piece, who does not love the nostalgic feel of this painting featuring Howdy Doody. A bit of western and cowboy thrown in brings me back to a simpler time. Nice composition and professionally executed. Well done.”
THIRD PLACE
Wendi Zlamal, We Can Be Heroes
Mixed Media, 24×18 in.
“Third place is a tip of the hat to figurative. A Super Hero in the form of just being a kid. I really liked how this painting has the kid standing in front of a black board with a house, sunshine and clouds. Show and tell from back in elementary school. Love it!”
CATEGORY WINNERS
Each category award winner is now entered into the Annual Competition. Judges will review all the winners from the 15th Annual PleinAir Salon, and we will award over $26,000 at the Annual Competition held in May 2026.
CATEGORY HONORABLE MENTIONS
The category honorable mention recipients are eligible to re-enter their paintings into future competitions.
TOP 100 FINALISTS
Each month all the entries are reviewed and scored by a judge. The paintings with the highest scores are juried in as the finalists.
