Plein Air Grand Marais Preserves Painting Tradition and Promises to Please Passers-By
Sep 09, 2024 08:29AM ● By Content Editor
Artists participate in the 90-minute Birney Quick Paint event in 2023. Photo: Boreal Community Media.
By Jennifer Janasie for Boreal Community Media - August 22, 2024
Plein Air Grand Marais is almost upon us, with competition week being held from September 6 through September 14, and the competition’s exhibit being showcased from September 13 through October 6. Throughout competition week, the public can explore painters around Cook County as they paint scenery outdoors, such as at Artist’s Point, in various North Shore state parks, on the Superior Hiking Trail, and in downtown Grand Marais. The paintings will then be displayed during exhibit week at the Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery (JHP) in Grand Marais. (JHP is one of five historic sites that the Cook County Historical Society maintains.)
This outdoor North Shore-focused painting competition and festival, presented through a partnership between JHP and the Outdoor Painters of Minnesota, has been an annual tradition for over 20 years. But the tradition of plein air painting has been carried on for much longer. “One highlight of this event is the longevity of the practice. People have been doing plein air practices for many years, especially dating back to before photography was invented,” says JHP’s manager, Aliya Marxen. This centuries-old practice turned into an art form and a core component of French Impressionism, according to the Artists Network website, and its history serves as inspiration for the tradition here on the North Shore. “It is fun to be part of this art tradition, while getting to do so here in modern times with modern artists,” says Marxen. As the competition’s exhibit venue and a showcase for plein air practices, JHP sets the bones on which the tradition-supporting event sits, while the Outdoor Painters of Minnesota serve as lead organizer to provide the logistical efforts to make the event possible, according to Marxen.
Painting in the plein air tradition, Submitted by Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery/Allison Eklund.
Plein Air Grand Marais consists of two classes, a juried Competition Class and an Open Class. The Open Class still holds the possibility of award recognition, but anyone can participate in the class and do so in a more casual way. The Open Class is “less intimidating, and is a great way to meet people, to collaborate, and to just have fun,” says Marxen. “I always love seeing people participating in and enjoying the Open Class,” she says. On September 11 at 5 p.m., the Open Class participants will display their work and hold an award ceremony in Harbor Park.
Dennis Waldrop, Cook County Historical Society Museum Manager and Archive Specialist (far left), and Katie Clark, Executive Director of Cook County Historical Society (second from left) watch an awards ceremony amongst a packed crowd. Submitted by JHP.
Aside from the Open Class exhibit, a participant and public favorite among competition week festivities is the Quick Paint event on Artist’s Point, held this year on September 12 at 3:30 p.m. Each year this activity is held to honor Birney Quick, a historical leader in the community arts of Grand Marais. “Both artists and the public love this event. It is a challenge for the artists because they can’t rely on their usual techniques. They are a little less in their heads because the painting happens so fast. The judging and awards happen right on the rocks,” says Marxen. “Spectators enjoy the Quick Paint equally,” she says, as they can walk around near Artist’s Point to appreciate the art. (See photos and results from the 2023 Birney Quick paint here.)
Beyond the act of competition, Plein Air Grand Marais also offers paint-along and individualized workshops plus camaraderie. Professional plein air painting instructors involved with the event offer workshops, and this year’s instructors have all won awards for their art at one time or another, according to Marxen. “All of the names are big hitters,” says Marxen. “This year’s Juror’s Workshop should be really special, as it is being led by the 2024 Juror, Brock Larson, a third-generation artist and a winner of the Plein Air Grand Marais two years in a row,” she says. Stephen Wysocki’s Color Theory Workshop should also prove to be interesting. “Learning color theory from him will be fascinating, no doubt,” says Marxen. “He creates breezy depictions with crazy pops of color that make sense even in hot pink,” she adds.
Paintings by Brock Larson, 2023 winner of the Grand Prize Best Body of Work Award, and juror for this year's Competition Class, Submitted by JHP.
Painters of varying ability levels can participate in the paint-along workshops, where artists can build community for learning and inspiration. They can also create connections at various social events. “The Open Reception (held this year on September 13 at 5 p.m.) is fun and crazy,” says Marxen. “All of the artists get to exhale together,” she says.
Plein Air Grand Marais builds longstanding relationships. “I love getting to work with these artists – the same artists that have been doing these events for years. And I also equally enjoy working with the newbies,” says Marxen. Many of the artists have been participating for five to 10 years, and have enjoyed the event enough to keep coming back, according to Marxen. It is this longevity in terms of relationship building, coupled with the longevity of the plein air tradition itself, that makes Plein Air Grand Marais so special. In terms of the guest perspective, the event’s exhibition at the Gallery is also singular and extraordinary. “This show is unlike anything else we do the rest of the year. In the area we all have these places that we love and enjoy, so paintings of them resonate with you emotionally,” says Marxen. “You get to experience these places through a different lens, through the different artists’ perspectives of them,” she says. “Getting to see that someone else loves (a place) as much as you, getting to see it and capture it, that’s really special,” says Marxen.
A painter admires the work of peers at a past event, Submitted by JHP.
Marxen is also lucky enough to get some sacred time alone with the paintings. “One of the personal moments that I love is hanging the pictures before judging. It feels like it is Christmas. I have been working with all of these artists, and I get to finally see their paintings come together. I get to see what the artists have been working with,” says Marxen. “Getting to do that – in this venue, in the silence – it’s divine somehow, it’s lovely,” she shares.
For more information and for a schedule of activities, see the Plein Air Grand Marais website or look for printed pamphlets available at JHP. Some workshops may still have available spots for those interested in attending.
