New England's Premier Outdoor Painting Festival

October 5 - 13, 2024

7 Days • 35 Artists • $20,000 in Awards

Schooners in Gloucester Harbor, 1st place 2023 Winner, Stephen Griffin

Cape Ann Plein Air 2024 Judges

CHARLIE HUNTER, Entry Juror

hunter-studio.com

  • We are so pleased to announce that Cape Ann Plein Air’s 2024 artists will be selected from all applicants by renowned plein air painter Charlie Hunter. This is what Charlie has to say about jurying a show: “Richard Schmid used to say, "the great thing about art is it lets you see what the world feels like to someone else." The nominal subject matter, the medium, the techniques employed; all are in service to the piece. Flannery O'Connor wrote great short stories; so did Raymond Carver. Cole Porter wrote great pop songs; so does Jay-Z. In the last year I have awarded prizes to streetscapes, abstracted landscapes, images of chickens, of African goat herders, trees, gas stations, and lily pads. I have given top awards to pastels, watercolors (transparent and opaque), oils, and acrylics. It doesn't matter what it is a picture of. It doesn't matter what tools were used. What matters is that it makes us feel something.”

LORI PUTNAM, Events Judge

loriputnam.com

  • We are thrilled to have nationally acclaimed artist Lori Putnam as Cape Ann Plein Air’s 2024 distinguished Event Awards Judge. Lori’s approach? “In a respected Plein Air competition such as Cape Ann Plein Air, it is assumed that participating artists will possess a high-level of facility and work confidently in their chosen medium. Good basics such as drawing skills, color harmony, and design are the first three indicators that a painting deserves a closer look. Edges, texture, line, and tone, as each relates to the artist’s chosen style, have to be examined. At that point, what bubbles to the top will be those paintings in which the artist demonstrates mastery. Next, I turn to what the organizer’s mission is in having the festival in the first place. From the CAPA website, “We share a common vision of celebrating the beauty and diversity of our surroundings through art. Plein air painting is all about artists interpreting their immediate environment, capturing the light, colors, and atmosphere of a place.” Finally I come to the hardest part, selecting the best of the best, and narrowing down the top 30 to the top 20, then 10, and so on. For that, I look for the one thing that is most important to me, the artist’s visual statement. That is, do I “see” the artist’s vision for the painting? Is what they wanted to say being said loud and clear? Were they creative in how they presented the subject? Does the work grab attention immediately and leave me wanting to examine it again and again and again? “

2024 Painting Awards

(anticipated, these vary and are subject to change)

 1st Place $6000 (plus entry into CAPA25)

 2nd Place $4000 (plus entry into CAPA25)

 3rd Place $2000 (plus entry into CAPA25)

Greg LaRock Memorial Artist Choice $1,000 (plus entry into CAPA25)

David Curtis Memorial Award $500

Beaches of Cape Ann: Joan Rodin Memorial $500

Best Cape Ann Abstract $1,000

Best Americana $500

In the Style of Edward Hopper $500

Best Use of Perspective $500

Best Seascape $500

Best Nocturne $500

Best Marine $500

Best Maritime Activity $500

Best Working Waterfront $500

Streetscapes $500