Sunday, July 10, 2011

Sum up of the First Annual "Paint the Town"



The first annual "Paint the Town", Quickdraw competition turned out to be an amazing event. We had 24 artists participating and every single painting was beautiful and accomplished.  We had several hundred people over the course of the night who managed to go through 3 cases of wine in about an hour.

Charmaine Jacobs won the Best in Show with her piece titled "Flag" and Wawi Amasha won the Peoples Choice Award. We ended up selling 15 of the pieces created that day through silent auction. Some of the pieces enjoyed several bidders one upping each other. All in all I don't think it could have been better for the first annual. Thank you to all the artists and all the great people of the community the participated in the event.

I think Kit Boise-Cossart summed it up perfectly for the artists:
"That was a kick and a beautiful evening. All the artists that I painted
with were nervous about the time constraint and the 'competition', and
pleasantly relaxed after - encouraged by the images that we all had
created. I was really impressed with their talent, commitment to their
work, and the results. Is was very inspiring.

The audience was attentive and enthusiastic. A lot of folk stopped by
repeatedly while I was painting to check on my progress. It was fun to
interact with them and try to debunk any 'secret magic' about art and
outdoor painting (although there is that magic anyway). It helped me get
a grip on what I've been doing, and loosened me up a bit (my painting
was pretty sketchy). Kinda of like a life drawing class. I spoke with a
lot of parents and kids. Everyone was supportive and engaged."


Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Press Release

Plein Air Santa Barbara is a friendly “quick draw” painting competition held at Casa De la Guerra in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara that celebrates both outdoor painting and our beautiful city. Coinciding with the First Thursday art party on July 7, 2011 and planned for a nice long evening in the heart of summer, hundreds of tourists and locals alike will be on-hand to watch the painting magic as some of California’s finest artists depict the downtown landscape as never before.

The artists will converge on the Casa at 4 p.m. and then quickly depart to begin their paintings. Already signed up for the event is organizer Chris Potter, who’s been painting in this fashion for the past five years, and such plein air luminaries as Ken Christensen and Jamee Aubrey. They’ll be allowed to set up their easels anywhere they desire, but expect State Street, the Presidio, El Paseo, City Hall, and the County Courthouse to be some of the hottest spots. They’ll have about 90 minutes to paint once set up, and all of the completed paintings must be returned to Casa De la Guerra by 6 p.m. sharp for the reception, judging, and sale. As guests marvel at the quickly but masterfully produced paintings, there’ll be wine tastings offered by some of Santa Barbara County’s finest vintners, and live acoustic music.

Based on the decision of a panel of judges, awards will be presented for King/Queen of the Street as well as second and third place. Attendees will also get the chance to vote on their favorite piece, and that popular artist will be presented with the People’s Choice Award. Along with respect and admiration, the winning artists will receive a cash prize as well as goods and services donated by local merchants.

FOR MORE INFO: Please see pleinairsb.com for the latest news and information about the contest. There will be an updated list of artists currently participating in the show with links to their websites.

TO PARTICIPATE: If you’re an artist who’d like to take part in this event, please email chrispotterart@gmail.com or call 805-252-7052.

TO CONTRIBUTE: If you’re a local merchant who’d like to support this event, please email julie@localharvestdelivery.com or call 805-252-7138.