Ipswich, Massachusetts-based Janet Sutherland was among the 40 finalists announced for 2019 Cape Ann Plein Air.
Neal Hughes of Moorestown, NJ won last year’s Cape Ann Plein Air competition, and will return in the mix for the event this Fall.
From left, CF Hayback, Coleen Hayback, Tracy Gothie, Mike Storella, Susan Coviello, Gary Gilbert, Matt Genta and James Caviston at the announcement of the Cape Ann Plein Air Competition and Festival finalists at the Beauport Hotel in Gloucester.
At a live event at the Beauport Hotel, 40 artists from across the US were announced as finalists who will travel to Cape Ann in October to compete in the 2019 Cape Ann Plein Air Painting Competition and Festival.
Cape Ann Plein Air program manager and Essex resident Susan Coviello began by reading remarks from Mark Boedges, the specialist judge charged with selecting the finalists and the ten alternates who were all selected from among nearly 100 submissions.
“I was honored to judge entry for the Cape Ann Plein Air. Cape Ann is a truly magical place and I believe that I have selected the best artists to bring that magic and beauty to the canvas,” Coviello read. “I do not envy the task of the awards judge!”
“Plein air” painting is about getting artists out of the studio and into nature to paint what they see and how they feel, in the moment. Cape Ann’s natural light is famous in the art world, and it is the main reason American plein air painting is said to have been invented here. The light is perfect for the area’s natural beauty, rich with painting subjects from fishing, granite quarries and islands to lighthouses and miles of sandy beaches.
Mike Storella, a Manchester resident who has an art studio in Essex, was a strong force in creating the event and is the organization’s board president. Coviello said the competition has grown every year and is today one of the top five plein air competitions in the United States, drawing artists hoping to capture the beauty here during the weeklong event this Fall.
It doesn't hurt that the purse for winners of the weeklong event it a good one: nearly $20,000 in prize money.
The finalists will come from across the US. They are from Maine, California, Washington, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, New York and Arizona, among many others. Some locals made it into the ranks of the finalists as well, including artists from Rockport, Waltham, Boston, Cambridge, and two from Ipswich.
Ten alternates were also selected, who, by definition are local because these artists will come into play if a finalist must cancel at the last minute. Coviello said said with a competition of this type, cancelations do happen. As with the finalists, this selection process was also “blind”, with the consideration pool comprised of applicants from local zip codes. Unlike the finalists, however, they are ranked. The top three alternates are John Caggiano of Rockport, Tom Amend of Gloucester and Marny Williams of Rockport.
