Show Preview | Mountainsong Galleries: Monterey Bay Plein Air Show

Carmel, CA
May 13-June 10

Coraly Hanson, Coastal Colors, oil, 16 x 20.

This story was featured in the May 2013 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Order the Southwest Art May 2013 print issue, or get the Southwest Art May 2013 digital download now…Or better yet, just subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss a story!

The Monterey Bay Plein Air Painters Association was founded in 2005 by artists from the Carmel area who wanted to celebrate and expand upon the rich heritage of the California Impressionists and post-Impressionists who have been drawn to the region since the 1870s. Today the 80-member organization continues to promote the creation and appreciation of plein-air painting by hosting local paint-outs and exhibitions throughout the Monterey region. This month the group presents its annual juried Signature Artists Exhibition at Mountainsong Galleries in Carmel.

Julia Munger Seelos, Founders Day Celebration, oil, 12 x 9.

The show features new works by many of the group’s 31 signature artist members, who work in various media including oil, acrylic, watercolor, and pastel. Approximately 40 pieces are on display, juried from 65 entries. “While our focus is on plein air, this show will have some studio pieces inspired by plein-air studies, or pieces finished in the studio,” says board member and signature artist Julia Munger Seelos. Entries were open to the artists’ favorite work, so the paintings in the show feature a variety of subject matter beyond the landscape—including a few figurative and still-life pieces. “It’s always a pleasure to see what our most talented artists enter in our signature show,” Seelos says.

The show runs from May 13 through June 9. An opening reception is on Saturday, May 18, from 6 to 8 p.m. Awards for first, second, and third place, plus a gallery prize and a people’s choice award, are announced at the reception. This year’s judges are Lucinda Mountainsong, co-owner of the hosting gallery, and John Burton, a signature member of Laguna Plein Air Painters, Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters, and Oil Painters of America who has won numerous regional and national awards.

Seelos is really looking forward to this year’s show. “It gives us a chance to catch up with friends we may not get to paint with,” she says. Additionally, the group is excited to show their works at Mountainsong Galleries, which is located right on Ocean Avenue. “This venue should bring us new collectors and heighten the public’s awareness that there is a vibrant association of outdoor painters living and working right in the Carmel area,” Seelos says. —Lindsay Mitchell

contact information
831.272.3099
www.mbpapa.org

Featured in the May 2013 issue of Southwest Art magazine–click below to purchase:
Southwest Art May 2013 digital download
Southwest Art May 2013 print issue
Or subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss a story!