Rails End Gallery curator, Laurie Jones, says there’s a perfectly good explanation why people may have noticed an influx of artists in area parks or along local lakefronts lately, with an easel in-hand painting away.
‘En Plein Air Haliburton’ returns for its second show at the community’s downtown public art gallery next month, with Jones saying dozens of painters have been hard at work preparing for the juried exhibition.
The initiative celebrates the “age-old tradition” of painting outdoors in the open air, Jones said. It follows last year’s inaugural event, which launched with displays in-person at 23 York St. and online. More than 40 artists participated.
“Last year was a big success. It brought out such an explosion of artistic energy and really got people excited to complete their assignments among nature,” Jones said.
“When I asked everyone if it was something they wanted to do again, it really wasn’t a question or a choice – everyone was aligned in saying this is something we absolutely have to bring back.”
Different from typical plein air shows, where works are completed during a scheduled time or event, Jones said artists can submit any finished piece from 2024 or 2025. Providing it was done outside in Haliburton County.
Entries must include both the name of the piece and location it was made. People can submit one piece for $25 or two for $35. The submission deadline is Sept. 3.
Jones said she and fellow County-based artist Rosanna Dewey will serve as jurors, selecting 20 pieces for the in-person exhibition at Rails End, running Sept. 19 to Nov. 8. All entries will be showcased in an online show. The top prize for ‘Best in Show’, won last year by Rod Proust, is $500, with approximately $2,000 worth of goodies up for grabs.
Because of the hype that followed last year’s event, Jones said there’s been an increased interest in plein air painting among Rails End members. She and Dave Kerr have hosted several impromptu painting events through summer, giving people the chance to try the medium in a group setting.
There have also been weekly ‘painting the past’ sessions at the Haliburton Highlands Museum on Friday afternoons through summer, with “happy painters” like Wendi Fox and Yasmine Schoenke attending. Jones recently hosted a plein air painting tutorial Aug. 9 during Haliburton Rotary Summerfest.
“Last year, we did virtually nothing leading up – we just told people we wanted a show. This time we’ve done a lot of enhanced programming to try and encourage people to get outside and paint. There’s a different energy that flows through the work that you just don’t get when you’re inside.
Jones hopes to create a virtual map of all painting locations on the website.
For more details, visit railsendgallery.com.
