Plein air painters set to take over Laguna in LPAPA Invitational
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Laguna Beach will see a return to its art colony roots in the coming days, as the 28th annual Laguna Plein Air Painters Assn. Invitational kicks off this weekend.
Thirty painters from across the nation will compete for awards and their share of more than $50,000 in cash prizes, using the town’s scenic coastline, hills, parks and historic streets as the subject of their pieces.
Jason Li, a Yorba Linda resident and Festival of Arts exhibitor who became the first to win Best in Show while working in watercolors last year, is back in the competition.
The list of award-winning artists returning from last year’s invitational also includes Colorado’s Kathleen B. Hudson, Minnesota’s Carl Bretzke and Northern California’s Ryan Jensen.
The 27th annual Laguna Plein Air Painters Assn. Invitational featured 30 artists from 10 states, as well as an international artist.
“Name recognition is great,” LPAPA vice president Celeste Gilles said. “For artists, when they’re on a roll, they’re on a roll. All of our new artists that we invite to come, new artists are invited because they’re making waves in the plein air art world across the country. They’re winning other competitions, they’re entering our competitions and doing well in our monthly gallery shows … or they’re doing well in other competitions across the country, and we want to give them the exposure here in Laguna.”
Artists will race the clock in a two-hour quick-draw painting competition from 1-3 p.m. at Heisler Park on Sunday, Oct. 4. The festivities then move to the Festival of Arts, where from 3-6 p.m., the public will be able to meet the artists and bid on the day’s work.
A nocturne paint out will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 6, with artists setting up their easels at Main Beach, on the Promenade on Forest, and around downtown Laguna Beach beginning at 5 p.m.
Those events are free and open to the public.
The Collectors Art Party will take place on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 6 p.m. at the Festival of Arts. Tickets are $225 for LPAPA members and $250 for the general public and are available at lpapa.org.
Closing out the nine-day event will be the Invitational Art Show and Festival on Sunday, Oct. 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Festival of Arts. Admission is free.
The Laguna Plein Air Painters Assn. was founded in 1996, seeking to preserve the legacy of painting outdoors in California and support its continuation in town.
Laguna Beach, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary next year, has long been known for its plein air painters, including pioneers such as Frank Cuprien, Anna Hills, Granville Redmond and William Wendt.
“We love our legacy, and we love that we’re stewards of this heritage craft, that the artists that came here to Laguna, they founded the Laguna Beach Art Assn. in 1918, so over 100 years ago, they established Laguna Beach as an art colony,” Gilles said. “We’re super excited to help the city celebrate 100 years, and obviously, we feel that the importance of plein air painting and the roots of Laguna Beach, we just feel they go hand in hand.”
