Plein Air
Thank You for a Wonderful 2026 Plein Air!
Saturday, June 13th, 2026
En plein air is a French expression meaning “in the open air” and refers to the act leaving behind the four walls of a studio in favor of painting outdoors with the artist’s subject in full view. Plein air artists capture the spirit and essence of a landscape or subject by incorporating natural light, color and movement into their works.
Plein Air is a Clinton County Arts Council program dedicated to enhancing the public’s awareness of the freedom of painting “en plein air” while providing a venue for established and emerging artists alike to share creative endeavors with collectors and the public.
The artists had a very hot beginning to their painting days on Wednesday, which morphed into hot and windy on Thursday, and ended with just a windy day on Friday. Thank you for hanging in there and for creating such beautiful pieces!
Our brave artists contributed 14 total new paintings and we invite you to view them at the Art & Soul Gallery until July, 13, 2026. All of them are available for purchase and many are even more incredible up close, so stop in soon!
Without further ado…
The Winners of the 2026 Art & Soul Gallery Plein Air
Best In Show and First Place
The Charm of Marilyn’s “Tara”
By Susan Fernholz
Second Place
Dappled Path
By Lisabeth Curnow
Third Place
Shadow Play
By Sandra Thelen
People’s Choice Award and Honorable Mention
Tiny Refuge
by Lisabeth Curnow
Honorable Mention
Oh! See What I See!
By Susan Fernholz
We would like to take this opportunity to thank this year’s judges, Jay Langone, Elspeth Nack, and Susan Mahoney. Thank you for donating your time and art knowledge to our event. We appreciate you and hope that you will be willing to come back and see us again soon!
