From September 11-18, the outdoor plein air contest will attract many outdoor painters to the area who will compete in several categories for cash prizes. The Outdoor Painters of Minnesota will work with the Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery to continue the event during the COVID-19 pandemic. For the first time, painters will be allowed to remain in their communities and paint. Staff photo/Brian Larsen
The popular outdoor plein air painting contest will once again be hosted by the Johnson Heritage Post and Outdoor Painters of Minnesota this fall, but with a twist.
Due to the COVID- 19 pandemic precautions, the outdoor artists will be painting September 11 to September 18 in Cook County, but artists will also be allowed to paint anywhere outside of Cook County between June 1 and September 18.
Plein Air Grand Marais is an annual event that brings outdoor painters to the north shore of Lake Superior for a week of painting, competition, learning, and camaraderie. The Grand Marais Art Colony started the event in 2003, but since 2018 the Outdoor Painters of Minnesota and Cook County Historical Society’s Johnson Heritage Post have sponsored it.
“After hosting the event for 15 years, two years ago we partnered with Outdoor Painters of Minnesota and the Johnson Heritage Post to take over the Plein Air competition,” said Ruth Pzwaro, Artistic Director of the Grand Marais Art Colony. “It fell in line with their mission and work and ultimately, it was good to have a plein air organization in charge of the event.
The Art Colony hosts this year’s juror, Kathie Wheeler, for a two-day workshop at the Art Colony on September 19 and 20, but all other event programming is under the umbrella of the Outdoor painters of Minnesota and the Johnson Heritage Post.
During the competition week of September 11 to September 18, more than sixty artists will roam the county with their canvases and paints. They will be searching for a special location or an iconic image to capture in a painting. The competition results in more than 200 paintings submitted in the various categories, including the 90-minute Quick Paint and Night Paint competitions.
Artists of all ages and abilities are welcome, but the competition consists of invitational and juried painters only. There is an Open Class for other artists to exhibit their best original work. Public family art activities, sponsored by Joy & Company in Grand Marais, are also part of this year’s event.
Go to outdoorpaintersofminnesota.org for more information if you would like to participate in the events and view paintings for sale.
To meet the competing artists and view or purchase their artwork, go to pleinairgrandmarais.org.
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