Friday, September 9th, Saturday, September 10, and Sunday, September 11, 2011

THE PAINT OUT HAS BEGUN! Competing artists will be located at the following areas on Friday, September 9, 2011:

Nancy Begin – Mesilla

Margaret Bernstein – Mesquite Street/Court Street

Don Brenner – Railroad Museum

Patsy Blasdell – Old Mesilla

Penny Duncklee – Soledad Canyon

Linda Eichorst – Mountains, Picnic

Melinda Etzold – Bosque

Meg Freyermuth – Fairacres Farm

Frances Gomez – Shalem Colony Road

Charles Gonzales – Alameda District

Lois Griffel – Dripping Springs/Bosque

Linda Hagen – Bosque

Mark Hohnstreiter – Dripping Springs

Tracy Jamison – University

Jeri Langlois – Mesilla

Patricia Lawrence – Apodaca Park

Judy Licht – De Valle Home

Bonnie Mandoe – unknown

Candy Mayer – Bosque

Sue Nichols – River, Mesquite Area

Beth Ray – Dripping Spring/Bosque

Krystyna Robbins – Old Mesilla

Marilyn Sahs – Young Park

Antoinette Haque – Apodaca Park

Ouida Touchon – 1200 N. Raymond

Arlene J. Tugel – Munson Park

Carlos West – Mesilla

Rhoda Winters – Old Court House

Mary Zawacki – unknown

Bob Zeissell – Bosque

Click here to see Winners!

The Doña Ana Arts Council presents the second Color Las Cruces Plein Air* Competition and Community Arts Festival. The annual event is three full days of ongoing activities and entertainment in Downtown Las Cruces, with  a “Quickdraw”, Plein Air competitions, an Artist Reception, and a gallery showing.  A Plein Air workshop with noted artist David Schwindt will be held on September 6,7,8 leading into the festival weekend. Funds raised from “Color Las Cruces” support our Career Arts Path (CAP) program for middle school children. CAP is a two-week intensive art-based camp that explores possible careers in creative fields and allows students to experiment with different mediums.

Color Las Cruces takes place September 9th -11th. During the event weekend, juried artists will compete for cash & merchandise prizes.  In a seven-hour period on Friday, they must go to an outdoor location in Las Cruces, begin, finish, and return with a completed painting.  Guest judge, Preston Thayer, head of the NMSU Gallery, will be on hand Saturday morning to judge the artwork. Awards will be given for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, and winners of the Plein Air competition will be announced Saturday evening at the Artist Reception.   A public exhibit and sale of the completed paintings, with artists in attendance to discuss their work, will take place in the gallery on Sunday afternoon from noon until 2:30 pm.

The Artist Reception will be held Saturday evening, where you can meet the artists, sample food, and enjoy wine from local wineries and a live performance in front of the Rio Grande Theatre.

Open to all for a small fee, a Quickdraw competition takes place downtown at the Rio Grande Theatre on Sunday, at 10:30. Artists will have one hour to complete a drawing or painting, and finished work will be displayed and judged by the Plein Air artists.  Artists can register prior to the competition at the Rio Grande Theatre on Sunday morning.

Culminating the festival, artists will show their Color Las Cruces painting, plus one other painting from thier body of work, both of which will be available for purchase. This will take place on Sunday during the Gallery showing.

Artist Information Page

The Plein Air workshop with David Schwindt will be held on September 6,7, and 8, 2011. Participants will learn how to finesse their plein air skills with a Master plein air painter. Great opportunity at a very affordable price. Please click here for more information.

Please click here for Workshop Registration Form

 

 

*Plein Air:  En plein air is a French expression which means “in the open air”, and is particularly used to describe the act of painting outdoors. (Wickipedia)