Maui Arts League to Host Plein Air Painting Event

The Maui Arts League recently announced the list of award-winning landscape artists who will participate in their 14th annual Maui Plein Air Painting Invitational.

Plein Air is a style of art in which an artist paints a landscape that they are sitting in, according to the Artist Network website. The style is named after the phrase “en plein air,” which means “in open air” in French.  

The event will run for nine days from Saturday, Feb.16 until Sunday, Feb. 24 and will feature 24 artists from Hawaiʻi, nine other states, and Australia. Attendees will have three opportunities throughout the invitational to watch these artists create paintings outdoors in four hours.

Private ticketed events for collectors will follow each art exhibit. There will be six public art sales, where attendees can meet artists and buy art they saw being painted. The Pioneer Inn will also host a public silent auction and art history lecture by Jean Stern, who is the Associate Director of the UC Irvine Museum and Institute for California Art.

The finale weekend, which will run from Feb. 22 to 24, will feature a “quick draw” two-hour paint out and a special art sale at the Royal Lahaina Resort. The “Art to Heart” ticketed awards banquet will also be held that weekend. A public exhibit and art sale of more than 175 original pieces will be held all day Saturday and Sunday, with educational forums and art demonstrations by visiting artists.

The five Hawaiʻi artists who will participate in the event are Mark Brown, Saim Caglayan, Carleton, Mike Carroll, and Michael Clements.

Attending for their first time are artists Aimee Erickson from Portland, OR, Ken DeWaard from Hope, ME, Kathleen B. Hudson from Lexington, KY, David Savellano from Alameda, CA, Michele Usibelli from Woodway, WA, Jim Lamb from Sammamish, WA, Shelby Keefe from Milwaukee, WI, and Josh Clare from Paradise, UT.

Returning artists include Suzie Baker of Shenandoah, TX, Greg Barnes of Charlotte, NC, Carl Bretzke of Minneapolis, MN, Hiu Lai Chong of Rockville, Greg LaRock of Orange, CA and Terry Miura of Fair, Oaks, CA. Other participating artists include John Poon of Ogden, UT, Morgan Samuel Price of Altamonte Springs, FL, Aaron Schuerr of Billings, MT, George Strickland of Tucson, AZ, and Leon Holmes of Perth Australia.

The Maui Arts League will also present two ticketed workshops for professional and amateur artists, one taught by Josh Clare, and another by Susie Baker. More information on all Maui Plein Air Painting Invitational Events and how to purchase tickets can be found online or by calling (808) 665-1491.