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2022 Plein Air Competition

January 14, 2022 April 9, 2022

2022 Plein Air Competition

2022 Plein Air Competition 

The Brigham City Museum of Art & History presents the 2022 Utah Plein Air Competition open Saturday, January 15 through Saturday, April 9 with an awards ceremony on Saturday, February 12 from 3:00 to 5:00 PM. Plein Air competitions are community challenges for artists of any level to celebrate the beauty and wonder of the natural world. The spirit of plein air requires artists to paint their entries entirely “out in the open air” and have only a very short time in which to paint, frame, and submit their entries. Renowned plein air artist Allen Brockbank served as jurist.

The competition was open to artists of all ages, backgrounds, skills, and experience. A wintertime setting adds another layer of adventure to the spirit of plein air painting and this year’s artists painted on some of the coldest and snowiest days so far this winter. Their entries celebrate Utah in a season rarely captured through other plein air competitions. 

The museum encourages visitors to see if they can recognize the location captured in each landscape. Artists hailed from as close to the museum as a couple of blocks away to the artist community of Helper, UT. The feeling of presence, a sense of the time of day, a location’s tell-tale signs, are important aspects of plein air painting. “The variety of the entries this year is stunning,” said Museum Director Alana Blumenthal.  “Even more impressive is the enthusiasm from our artists, some of them new to our competition and some we see each year, but all excited to be a part of this communal reflection on Utah in wintertime.”

Want to learn more about plein air painting, this year’s artists, and how Allen judged the entries? Click here to view our education guide! 

Congratulations to our 2022 Plein Air Competition Award Winners!

1st Place: Along the Trail to White Pine by Sean Wallis

2nd Place: Eddington’s Homes by Steve Stauffer

3rd Place: Kaleidoscope Rails by Linda Christensen

Merit Awards:

Christmas Sunset by Jane Finalyson

Red Barn by Brad Williams

Snow Clouds Darken Box Elder Mountains by Kraig Jardine

Click here to watch the Awards Ceremony recording. 

Works for Sale

Competition was open to artists of all ages, backgrounds, skills, and experience. In addition to cash prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places, additional works might be acquired for the museum’s permanent collection. Most paintings are priced for sale of which the museum will retain 20% as a fundraiser. Any payments for art sold will be sent to artists within three weeks of the end of the exhibition or handed to the artist upon pick up of unsold works. 

Petit Plein Air

Our Petit Plein Air is your opportunity to purchase a 5″x7″ work of art for $50. This fundraiser supports our Plein Air Competition and other museum programs. Most artists use this small canvas as field studies for their entries. All Petit Plein Air works are on display in our main gallery as part of the overall exhibition. 

Important Dates

January 15: Exhibition opens

February 12: Hybrid In-person/Streaming Awards Ceremony

April 9: Exhibition Closes

April 11 through April 30: Artists pick up entries. Any entries not retrieved after 5:00 PM on Saturday, April 30 will become property of the museum.