The awards for the November 20253 PleinAir Salon Art Competition were announced on December 29th. The selections were made by judge, William A. Schneider. The overall and category winners will now be included in the judging for the 15th Annual PleinAir Salon Competition being awarded in May 2025.
FIRST PLACE
Deborah Tilby (Canada), Resonance
Oil, 40×30 in.
“Whenever jurying a show, I don’t focus on subject matter but rather on the five basics of painting: shapes(drawing), values, color temperature relationships, edges, and composition. This seascape is strong in all five! The design was especially powerful; the lightest light of the wave splashing against the darkest dark of the rocks created a strong center of interest. The “arrow” of dark rocks on the left pointing to the COI reinforced the composition. The edge treatment is also outstanding, ranging from the softness of the foam and spray (even when shrunken down to thumbnail size) to the razor-sharp edges on the rocks.“
SECOND PLACE
Sebastian Ilczuk (Poland), Tatras, Snowdrifts
Pastel, 12×12 in.
“This snowscape is a visual delight! The temperature contrast between the warm light and cooler shadows on the snow is totally believable. Compositionally, the dark forest background against the top edge of the snow-covered branches below creates a beautiful and varied line that is a strong part of the design. I could sense the artist’s joy in painting this light-filled sunny day.”
THIRD PLACE
Mary Ellison, Dune Shadows
Oil, 12×12 in.
“I loved the way the artist made “something out of nothing”. The strong horizontal lines of the horizon and the green shape of ocean are the perfect counterpoint to the diagonal lines of the shadow edge on the dune and the thin, strong darks of the vines moving across the shadow! Also, the temperature shifts on the dune creates a convincing Illusion of light and shadow without overstating the value contrast! Notice how the violet shadow shape on the dune is completely connected and the smaller areas of sand in sunlight are either connected or pointing to each other, creating a ribbon of light moving through the painting. The sky, sea, grasses, and shadow bands vary in width; we artists always need to avoid the all-too-human tendency to make shapes too uniform and boring.”
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 $22,000 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 become the Top 100 Finalists. (In the event of tied scores, there may be more than 100). The awards for the monthly competition are selected from this group of finalist.
