Spring Festival of the Arts
- Ethan Myerson
- Mar 10
- 2 min read
This past weekend was SAACA's Spring Festival of the Arts, showcasing what must have been hundreds of vendors. I saw everything from Sonoran desert décor crafted from saguaro and ocotillo, to paintings, jewelry, woodwork, amazing steel sculptures and lots more. It was great to be surrounded by so much art and craftsmanship for the weekend.
I was there to compete in the plein air painting competition. There were 20 or so creating works in one of three categories: Nature, Architecture, and People. With prizes awarded for the top two spots in each category (and and additional Best in Show prize), I really wanted to be at the top of my game. And with the slate of incredible painters we had there, I knew I'd have to be, if I was going to have a shot at winning.
I'd met, and painted alongside, probably half of the painters there. But the others were all new friends to me, and baed on what I could see of their work, they were extremely talented.
I got to work on two different images. One was a scene of a friendly market vendor and his customers, while the other was a painting of a classic 1949 Ford Two Door V8 (which was being auctioned off as a fundraiser for my friends at the Community Food Bank).
While working on the paintings, I got to know the people who were subjects of my paintings (Hello, Kenny!) and the people selling their wares near where I was set up (Hello, John!). The weather was sunny and gorgeous, and the people were friendly and fun.
The competition ended at noon on Sunday, and the judging would take until 3 pm. That gave me plenty of time to see the rest of the festival, to check out all the vendors, and to catch up with the other artists.
When the announcement came, I couldn't have been more thrilled. My piece, Fesival Market, had won first place in the "People" category. And, what's more, it sold immediately. All in all, it was a great weekend of painting.
Plein Air Painting is one of my great loves. If you'd like to sharpen your plein air skills and learn to have fun painting outdoors, I'd recommend my Plein Air Paint Along sessions:
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