Cook County News Herald

Plein Air competition Sept. 7-13



Plein air artists were busy painting pictures near the Grand Marais Art Colony two weekends ago. Jean DeRider, in the forefront, dabs at her picture with a brush. File photo

Plein air artists were busy painting pictures near the Grand Marais Art Colony two weekends ago. Jean DeRider, in the forefront, dabs at her picture with a brush. File photo

Jean DeRider, Duluth was here last weekend, one of eight students taking a class in plein air painting from the Grand Marais Art Colony. Grand Marais artist Neil Sherman taught the course.

DeRider, a job coach in Duluth, said she hadn’t painted “for about a year. My job keeps getting in the way,” she laughed. “Neil is a great instructor. I really like his style. Of course, I have to develop a style of my own,” she added.

DeRider started painting in the early 1990s after taking a watercolor class from nationally acclaimed watercolor master Chee. “I’m not used to working with oil paint,” she said, as she dabbed away some of the colors from her painting. “I’m doing what’s called ‘blocking’ right now. It’s the early stage of the painting. I really like my sky. It doesn’t necessarily look like the sky, but I like it anyway,” she said as she gazed back and forth at the cloudy sky above and then back to her work.

For this lesson, the artists were given three hours to complete a painting. Artists in competitions can be provided as little as one hour to finish a small picture. “Plein” is the French word for outdoors, and these competitions are becoming more popular the world over.

Plein Air Grand Marais

From September 7-13, Plein Air Grand Marais will draw more than 100 artists to the area, 75 of whom will compete in several categories for cash prizes.

In its 15th year, Outdoor Painters of Minnesota and Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery and Museum are collaborating to host the competition this year.

Yellow Bird Fine Art in Grand Marais will conduct daily paint-outs, an open category exhibit and a reception for up to 35 visiting painters who are not in the competition, and the 75 competition artists.

Thursday night there will be a Hootenanny at the municipal campground picnic shelter on the lake – sing, play music along with OPM’s ad-hoc band “The Plain Errors.”

A culminating exhibit of work by competition artists will be hung at the Johnson Heritage Post Gallery following Plein Air Grand Marais from Friday, September 14 – Sunday, October 7.

As for DeRider, she won’t be able to attend the competition. “I have to work,” she said as she shrugged her shoulders. “But retirement isn’t too far away. Maybe then I will be able to come and participate.”

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