Portrait of a Success

Five hundred supporters of the Laguna Art Museum attended a gala dinner Saturday and were the first to view paintings finished during the weeklong Plein Air Painting Competition.

The guests mingled with most of the 50 artists who participated in the contest and were on hand to hear the names of the winners. Ken Auster of Laguna Beach was awarded the gold prize and $7,500.

The event, which grossed $270,000 for the museum, including the sale of some of the paintings, “exceeded our expectations,” said museum director Bolton Colburn. “It has to be the best event the museum has ever done, and it was a fitting tribute to the institution’s history.”

Finding inspiration outside, or en plein air, has been recognized in Laguna Beach for 82 years when the first residents took their easels, palettes and paintbrushes outdoors to document coastal, canyon and hilltop vistas.

The second annual competition, hosted by the museum and the Laguna Plein Air Painters Assn., began July 10 when painters from across the U.S. began their work. For four days, they were stationed at Main Beach, Heisler Park, Laguna Coast Wilderness Park and other scenic spots. Passersby were invited to watch them at work.

The competition concluded Sunday when the California Impressionist artworks were displayed at the museum. More than 1,700 people viewed the free exhibit.

At Saturday’s gala, guests paid $135 to be the first to buy the art and dine on baron of beef, wild porcini fettuccine, basil clam grosso rigato and French pastries.

For more information, call (949) 494-8971 or visit the Web site at https://www.lagunaartmuseum.org.

Ann Conway has the day off.