Plein air honors to be handed out Saturday

Suzie Harrison

By just observing the flick of his wrist with paintbrush to canvas

it’s hard to imagine that what looks so effortless takes hard work

and talent.

Last year third-generation-artist Jesse Powell earned first place

in the Laguna Plein Air Painter’s Assn.’s Member’s Show. The

27-year-old will find out at the opening reception Saturday what the

outcome will be this year.

Seventy four artists will compete for that honor, which is in the

hands of juror Gene Cooper, who is a professional artist and taught

Art History: modern and French at Cal State Long Beach.

Powell said the best thing he did was to get his studio at the

Laguna Canyon Artists complex, directly across from him is the plein

air association headquarters.

He moved to Laguna from Santa Barbara to get married and

everything has seemingly fallen into place from there -- but turning

his painting into a full-time job has helped that process.

“I got my studio here just over a year ago,” Powell said. “Having

my studio here has got me involved with plein air, I was more of a

studio artist and now I’m outside a lot.”

One hundred pieces will be judged in the show, and first prize

will again be an invitation to go onto the esteemed Laguna Beach

Plein Air Invitational.

“When they announced it at the reception I was shocked, I was very

new to the area and blown away by it,” Powell said. “It was a

tremendously flattering thing to happen, to get my career moving it

in the right direction.”

“It was daunting, it was great, my first time -- I was surrounded

by all the guys I admire in the art world -- and to just watch all

these tremendous artists paint it opened my eyes,” Powell said.

Plein air Executive Director Theresa Marino said the show, in its

fifth year, has always been successful.

“The reason we have the membership exhibit is for the members to

have an opportunity to show their work in a professional setting and

allow the public to enjoy their accomplishments,” Auster said.

Powell said, as other plein air painters have said, is that one of

the joys of painting outside is there is always something new to go

search out and paint.

“All my work generally starts outside with small study work, it’s

much more personal on location rather than just relying on photos and

things that aren’t that personal to me,” Powell said. “Certain things

you want to capture that a photo can’t get.”

Most of his work is of California landscapes.

“I was born and raised in Southern California, it’s closest to my

eye,” Powell said. “I travel in Europe [and paint], but there is

something about the light in California ... there’s a very distinct

feeling.”

Laguna Plein Air Painters Assn. was founded in ’96 by local

artists including Auster and Saim Caglayan, Jacobus Baas, Cynthia

Britain and John Cosby. It was formed to bring awareness to the

tradition of the early California plein air painting and bridge it

with like artists of today. The association has more than 300

members.

The opening reception, which includes the announcement of the

winners, is from 6 to 9 p.m. The public is encouraged to attend.

Laguna Plein Air Painters Assn. is at 3251 Laguna Canyon Road, suite

F3. For more information call (949) 376-3635 or online at

https://www.lpapa.org.