Call Detail
Pacific Northwest Plein Air 2012
Entry Deadline: 6/15/12
Application Closed

Entry Fee (2011 Pacific Northwest Plein Air Landscape Painting Exhibition): $35.00
Work Sample Requirements
Images | Minimum:Min. 6, Maximum:Max. 6
Total Samples | Minimum:Min. 6, Maximum:Max. 6
Call Type: Unspecified
Eligibility: Unspecified
State: Unspecified
Event Dates: 8/31/12 - 9/30/12

Paint-Out and Exhibition
In the Columbia River Gorge
August 31 – September 30, 2012

HOW TO APPLY
Applicants are asked to submit 6 digital images of their Plein Air artwork and an artist statement through www.callforentry.org (CaFÉ ™). Please visit the CaFÉ™ website for complete instructions on how to apply. The entry fee is $35. All applications must be submitted by midnight (Mountain Time) on Friday June 15, 2012. Columbia Center for the Arts will not accept applications directly.

ELIGIBILITY
Any resident of the United States and Canada is eligible to apply. However, upon acceptance, artwork delivered to the exhibition must have been painted on location (in Plein Air) in the last two years in the Pacific Northwest: British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Northern California, Idaho, or Western Montana.

DEFINITION
For this exhibition, at least 90% of the painting must be completed onsite and outdoors to be considered “Plein Air.”

LOCATION
The Pacific Northwest is a Plein Air Painter’s Paradise. Each year, artists gather in the Columbia River Gorge to take in the stunning beauty of its black basalt cliffs, ribbon-like waterfalls, and lush fir forests. In November 1986, Congress recognized the unique beauty of the Gorge when it made it the nation's first National Scenic Area.

This protected area offers a diverse range of climate zones for artists to paint all within a 60 mile radius. Nestled along the Columbia River, Hood River sits between the two snow-capped volcanoes, Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams. Just a 10-minute drive to the East takes you to the Transitional Zone where the Cascade Mountain Range meets the Desert. The High Desert and Deschutes River are 35 minutes further. To the West, visitors can wander the temperate rain forest and discover alpine lakes and streams. Portland is 1-hour West of Hood River and the scenic Oregon Coast is 2.5 hrs West of Hood River.

SELECTION PROCESS
Phase 1: Artists interested in being featured in the Plein Air Exhibition in September need to apply now and be pre-screened through CaFÉ in order to be included in the Pacific Northwest Plein Air Exhibition. During this initial review, a panel comprised of regional art collectors, artists, and arts professionals will evaluate the submitted images (these images must be examples of your actual Plein Air artwork) to determine if the artist will be invited to participate in the exhibition in September. Approximately 35 artists will be selected based on the Plein Air images they submit. However, the submitted images are not necessarily pieces that are committed to the show; it is our hope that the selected artists will create new pieces specifically for the exhibition and participate in the hosted Paint-out Event. All artists who apply will receive electronic notification of the results of the screening process. Notification will be sent to the email address supplied when applying through CaFÉ.

Phase 2: The Artists identified by the screening committee will be featured in the September Exhibition. Accepted artists are highly encouraged to participate in the paint out event during the week prior to the show opening. Participating in the Paint-out is not mandatory, but we strongly recommend it as, historically, the majority of the artwork sold during the exhibition is created during the Paint-out.

All artwork must be original in concept and executed by the artist within the last two years. Compositions taken from published material or involving copyright infringement issues will not be considered. No student work under supervision is eligible. No work previously featured in the Columbia Gorge Region will be accepted. Artists may deliver up to 5 pieces, with the understanding that there may not be room for all entries in the show. Each accepted artist will show at least 3 pieces. Accepted artists will receive follow up instructions including a detailed prospectus and a site map of the Paint-out locations.

IMPORTANT DATES
April 9 - CaFÉ begins accepting applications
June 15 - Last date to submit application via CaFÉ Web site
July 8 - Notification e-mailed
August 31 - Sept. 4 - Paint out dates
Sept. 4 - Artwork to be delivered to the gallery no later than 5pm
Sept. 6 – Randall Sexton Workshop
Sept. 7 - Collector’s Preview Party & Public Reception
Sept. 7 – Sept. 30, 2012 Overall exhibit dates
Sept. 30 - Exhibition closes
Oct. 1 - Pick up date

EXHIBITION JUROR
We are pleased to announce that the juror for the 2012 Pacific Northwest Plein Air Exhibition is Randall Sexton. Randall is a nationally known for his use of color and expressive brushwork in his oil paintings of “everyday” scenes.

Acknowledged by jurors and artists alike, Randall has garnered national awards for his paintings. Most notably, in 2008, Randy was honored with the coveted “Artists’ Choice Award” in Laguna Beach at the 10th Annual Laguna Beach Plein Air Event held at the Laguna Museum Of Art. He also won the same award in Telluride, CO (Sheridan Plein Air Festival) and in Napa, CA (Napa Valley Land Trust Art Festival), both in 2008.

Randall will be holding a one day workshop Thursday, Sept. 6th, 2012. For more information, please visit www.columbiaarts.org.

Once the exhibition is hung, Randall will select the top paintings which will receive ribbons, cash awards and/or gifts. Recipients of the juror’s awards are automatically invited to participate in the exhibition next year (2013) and need not be screened.

AWARDS AND PRIZES
1st Place ● 2nd Place ● 3rd Place ● 4 Honorable Mention ● Best River ● Best Waterfront ● Best Sky
●Best Farm Scene ● Best Mountain ● Vintner’s Pick ● Best Western ●Artists’ Choice ●People’s Choice

SUBMISSION
Fine art media will be accepted in the following categories: Oil • Acrylic • Watercolor • Pastel

SIZE
Artwork, including frames, shall not exceed 50 inches in either direction. Minimum image size: 2” x 3”.


PRESENTATION
Artwork must be professionally framed, * wired and ready for hanging. Required details include: Wire in good condition, flat D-rings used on frames, cleaned up canvas edges without visible staples. No work will be accepted with screw-in eye hooks (unless the eye hooks are not protruding beyond the back of the frame) or metal tooth hangers. If you don’t know what these are - please ask and we will be happy to explain.
*Contemporary painters sometimes present their work unframed. This will be acceptable as long as the canvas or wood edge is at least 1.5” thick, and the edges are finished in a professional manner with cleaned up canvas edges and without visible staples. All other hanging requirements will be the same.

SALES
Work must be FOR SALE and priced with intent to sell. • 60% to the artist • 40% commission supports Columbia Art Gallery, a non-profit community art gallery

SHIPPING
If you live outside the local area and wish to ship a piece to or from the show, all packaging, shipping, insurance and related costs are the responsibility of the artist. Artist is to provide all packing material (box, foam, label) for artwork that will be mailed back to artist after the show. Artist will also make arrangements in advance to cover shipping costs.

EXHIBITION DELIVERY AND PICK UP
All hand-delivered artwork must be delivered to Columbia Art Gallery prior to or on Tuesday, September 4th between noon and 5:00 pm. You may also ship artwork in advance to arrive prior to or on Tuesday, Sept. 4th, 2012 to Columbia Art Gallery, 215 Cascade Street, Hood River, OR 97031. All artists will fill out an Artwork Submission form for artwork entries that includes: Artist Name, Title of Work, Size and Price. This list is your receipt for entries, and must be presented when picking up any and all work. Please pick up all unaccepted entries. Accepted entries, regardless of whether they are sold, may not be removed until close of show. All unsold works must be removed promptly at the end of the show to make room for the next show. Art not picked up within 60 days after the close of the show will become property of the Columbia Art Gallery.

ABOUT US
Columbia Center for the Arts is an independent 501(c)(3) organization in downtown Hood River, Oregon. Within the Art Center is the Columbia Art Gallery, a 141-seat black-box Theater, and an Education & Studio facility; these three components serve virtually every segment of the Gorge community. For more details about any of our programs, please visit our website: http://www.columbiaarts.org/

INFORMATION
We have tried to ensure that the application information and instructions are clear and complete. Please consult the CaFE’ Web site for information about how to prepare digital images or complete an application. For technical support, contact CaFÉ at CaFE@westaf.org Monday through Friday, between 8:30 am and 5 pm Mountain Time. For questions about eligibility and other requirements, contact Columbia Art Gallery at gallery@columbiaarts.org or 541-387-8877 x 115. All questions should be made attention to Celeste Bergin, Exhibition Curator.

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria