{"id":37223578708,"date":"2024-11-19T09:12:15","date_gmt":"2024-11-19T14:12:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mcmichael.com\/?page_id=37223578708"},"modified":"2025-08-12T10:55:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T14:55:11","slug":"en-plein-air-competition-2024","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mcmichael.com\/fr\/en-plein-air-competition-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"En Plein Air Competition 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

En Plein Air Competition 2024<\/h1><\/div>

Throughout August and September of 2024, 68 artists of all ages participated in the McMichael\u2019s annual En Plein Air Competition<\/em>, creating and submitting captivating en plein air artworks created on the McMichael\u2019s iconic grounds and the historic village of Kleinburg.<\/p>\n<\/div>

Adult artists explored various techniques, including oil and acrylic painting, and photography, competing in two thematic categories. The first, Contemporary Landscape, celebrated the traditional en plein air approach, drawing inspiration from the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masters. The second, Re-Imagined Landscape, challenged participants to craft imaginative and reflective compositions in response to the effects of urbanization and the pressing realities of climate change.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s Children and Youth Categories, open to artists aged 6\u201315, were facilitated through Paint-Out sessions. These free, hands-on workshops introduced young creatives to the en plein air technique, providing an opportunity to explore their artistic talents amidst the McMichael\u2019s picturesque surroundings.<\/p>\n

Through a juried selection process, 32 artists were shortlisted for their exceptional works that vividly captured the story and spirit of the landscape. These pieces were showcased in a special exhibition at the McMichael\u2019s Community Gallery.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Award Winners<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div>

People\u2019s Choice Award – Children<\/h3><\/div>
Avila Palvankar<\/h6><\/div><\/div><\/div>

McMichael Children’s En Plein Air<\/em> Award<\/h3><\/div>
Emily Boaretto<\/h6><\/div>
Chloe Kim<\/h6><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Lana Leung<\/h6><\/div>
Avila Palvankar<\/h6><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Frankie MacDonald<\/h6><\/div>
Camila Mia<\/h6><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

People\u2019s Choice Award – Adult<\/h3><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Leila Refahi<\/h4><\/div>

<\/i>My plein-air painting captures the quiet beauty of nature, focusing on light filtering through trees and the hidden life within the forest. I immersed myself in the landscape by working outdoors, allowing its rhythms, textures, and atmosphere to shape my process. This piece reflects my ongoing exploration of nature\u2019s resilience and the serenity of untamed, wild spaces. Through the delicate interplay of light and shadow, I aim to evoke a moment of stillness\u2014inviting the viewer to connect with the peaceful yet powerful presence of the natural world. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Kleinburg Award<\/h3><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Michelle Chen<\/h4><\/div>

<\/i>This artists light strokes and the colour palette is so refined, but it also depicts a rich luminous quality. It offers a softness to the eyes and captures what this cafe and village looks like on a daily basis.<\/em><\/p>\n

– Cinzia Recine, BIA member<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Contemporary Landscape Category<\/h3><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Third – Emilia Filicetti Videka<\/h4><\/div>

<\/i>‘Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time’ – Thomas Morton<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s my belief that sincerely exploring the threads that hold an individual connects the artist to the path of the universal.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Second- Michelle Chen<\/h4><\/div>

<\/i>Michelle Chen is a member of the Oil Painters of America and Figurative Expressions. I was learning painting at thirteen years old, in my teenage years, I was always drawing, painting had been part of my life. After graduating from Nanjing Art University, I devoted myself to the applied arts as a professional graphic designer for more than ten years.<\/em><\/p>\n

In recent years, I am working as a full-time fine artist and art instructor. My passion for painting touches a broad range of subject matter which include the figure, portraits, still life, and landscapes. My optimistic attitude means that bright and bold colors play a dominant role in my work.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>

First – Joshua Helm<\/h4><\/div>

<\/i>Walking around Kleinburg I was fascinated with the intersection of the highway and the Humber River. The highway disappears through the trees, but the sign stands through them, green in tone, like a modern tree in a forest of development. Telephone poles dance with the trees, blurring the lines between the natural and built environment. The detail of the infrastructure, contrasting with the landscape’s loose brushwork, hints at the village hidden behind the trees. With vibrant brushstrokes and an underpainting that bleeds through and divides the sky, the artwork reflects how we navigate and coexist with our surroundings. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Landscape Re-Imagined<\/h3><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Third – James C. Jennings<\/h4><\/div>

<\/i>I fly here and there collecting sweet nectar. I share the gift of pollen with my friends. I am hard-wired to help in a world that harms. I am here to serve the people that have poisoned my kind.\u202fI am the most beautiful monster in this garden. My name is Apis Metallicum: Series 5000, and I am your vanishing saviour. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Second – Charisma Panchapakesan \u2013 will be absent<\/h4><\/div>

<\/i>This drawing explores the intersection of nature and human intervention. At its center is an en plein air sketch from within a gazebo at the McMichael on a rainy day, offering a controlled glimpse of the landscape framed by human presence. Two sparrows perch on the hand-drawn frame, symbolizing nature relegated to the role of spectator. Once integral parts of the ecosystem, the birds here observe from the margins, highlighting how urbanization and human design increasingly dominate natural habitats. The sparrows are becoming passive observers of spaces that were once their own. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>

First – Tushar Patel<\/h4><\/div>

<\/i>Maintaining a balance between preserving the natural environment and economic growth is a challenge that must be addressed before it is too late to turn back. Development is inevitable but not at any cost. Let us not turn our forests to ash and oceans to floating waste. The world is sacred and we are but one small element of this world, let us protect it. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Shortlisted Artists<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/i>Contemporary Landscape<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/i>Landscape Re-Imagined<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/i>Children & Youth Category<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Contemporary Landscape<\/h3><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
Anyone Got a Canoe?<\/h5><\/div>
Paul Nodwell<\/h6><\/div>

Acrylic<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
Come Fly<\/h5><\/div>
Angela Ka Po Chan<\/h6><\/div>

Acrylic<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
Highway & the Humber<\/h5><\/div>
Joshua Helm<\/h6><\/div>

Acrylic<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
Fragmented Phragmites<\/h5><\/div>
Susanne Massie<\/h6><\/div>

Oil<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
Tom Thomson’s Shack<\/h5><\/div>
Sabina Fenn<\/h6><\/div>

Oil<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
Quiet Moment<\/h5><\/div>
Janice Jones<\/h6><\/div>

Oil<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
South Humber<\/h5><\/div>
Piera Pugliese<\/h6><\/div>

Oil<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
Good Mood Starts Here<\/h5><\/div>
Michelle Chen<\/h6><\/div>

Oil<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
Cabin Fever<\/h5><\/div>
Nancy Taves<\/h6><\/div>

Oil<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
Sunlit Sanctuary<\/h5><\/div>
Leila Refahi<\/h6><\/div>

Oil<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
Resting Place<\/h5><\/div>
Emilia Filicetti Videka<\/h6><\/div>

Oil<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
Reflections Along the Humber River Valley<\/h5><\/div>
Yana Pikulak<\/h6><\/div>

Gouache<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
Dusk Approaching<\/h5><\/div>
Yasir Hameed<\/h6><\/div>

Pencil, Pastel or Charcoal<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
WildFire<\/h5><\/div>
Ela Raine<\/h6><\/div>

Pencil, Pastel or Charcoal<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
They Were Here<\/h5><\/div>
Kate Greenway<\/h6><\/div>

Watercolour<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
Indigenously Memorable<\/h5><\/div>
Zainub Mawaz<\/h6><\/div>

Mixed Media<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Landscape Re-Imagined<\/h3><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
Fade<\/h5><\/div>
Cheryl Greiner<\/h6><\/div>

Acrylic<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
Enchanting Colours of a Vibrant Village<\/h5><\/div>
Sandra Falcone<\/h6><\/div>

Acrylic<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
Footprints<\/h5><\/div>
Diana Nadia Lawryshyn<\/h6><\/div>

Acrylic<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
Birds I View<\/h5><\/div>
Charisma Panchapakesan<\/h6><\/div>

Mixed Media<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
Apis Metallicum: Series 5000<\/h5><\/div>
James C. Jennings<\/h6><\/div>

Oil<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
Trespassers<\/h5><\/div>
Sonia Jay<\/h6><\/div>

Oil<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
There Was a Forest Here<\/h5><\/div>
Tushar Patel<\/h6><\/div>

Pencil, Pastel or Charcoal<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
Concrete Skies<\/h5><\/div>
Michael Cripps<\/h6><\/div>

Watercolour<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
Where We Fell Along The Way<\/h5><\/div>
Nina Silver<\/h6><\/div>

Photography<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
Being At Anchor<\/h5><\/div>
Helen Diack<\/h6><\/div>

Photography<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Children & Youth Category<\/h3><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
The Barn<\/h5><\/div>
Camila Mia, age 13<\/h6><\/div>

Acrylic Markers<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
Fall Colors<\/h5><\/div>
Emily Boaretto, age 6<\/h6><\/div>

Watercolour Crayons<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
My Canvas Can Not Have One Treee<\/h5><\/div>
Chloe Kim, age 7<\/h6><\/div>

Watercolour Crayons<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
Memories by the Bench<\/h5><\/div>
Lana Leung, age 8<\/h6><\/div>

Watercolour Crayons<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
The Special Flower Beside the Sidewalk<\/h5><\/div>
Avila Palvankar, age 6<\/h6><\/div>

Watercolour Crayons<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/a><\/span><\/div>
A Window to the Artist’s Mind<\/h5><\/div>
Frankie MacDonald, 8<\/h6><\/div>

Watercolour Crayons<\/p><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
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