Plein Air Painting in Sackets Harbor NY

Pickering Beach Museum

 Sackets Harbor is known for it's battlefield and other aspects of the war of 1812-1814. The Arts Association of Northern NY ( ww.aanny.org) held it's annual plein air derby, concurrent  with the Can-Am Festival celebrating the Canadian/American friendship, about the third weekend in July. The parade is one of the  big attractions as well as  tents of vendors and a soap box derby, so there are many visitors in town for Saturday and Sunday. While I have won awards in past events there was "no cigars", so to speak, this year. There is plenty to chose from for painting subjects, including a harbor full of sailboats,

Commandant's Hollyhocks

Majestic Willow

outdoor restaurants, unique architecture, flowered street lamps, and store fronts. My historic building portraits are 9 x 12 and 11 x 14 inch oils and the Willow tree study 14 x 11, all oils. Friday and Saturday where two sunny warm days, muggy, and  tend to drain your energy. Hollyhocks were in full bloom and featured in both my building paintings. I was attracted by the two point linear perspective of the Commandant's Quarters countered by the down hill direction of the white fence. The home owner said the tree was 75 years old. Without any awards and worse any sales (the latter was a below average year for everybody), it is easy to deflate one's ego.  To the rescue came the July 2014 issue of Plein Air Magazine (complimentary copies to participating artists) with the cover depicting a watercolor by Stewart White, of  St John's Church, Richmond, VA.  Mr. White won the $15,000 first prize of             Plein Air Magazine's Annual Salon Contest. In the article it was pointed out that he had entered the painting during the 2013 Plein Air Richmond event and it did not win any awards or even sell. However it was sold right away at another event that was associated with an Episcopal Church. He said that this painting won the Best Building award in Plein Air Salon January-February contest, while another painting of his won First Place in that event.
"I won this Grand Prize for a painting that didn't even win the top prize in the bi-monthly contest".
The above serves to illustrate what many artist's know-the subjectivity involved in judging and  also in the eye of a purchaser.
Many times  I have read the scenario where a painting rejected for  a juror-ed contest won first place in another. So on to another day and another contest. The next one is the first weekend in August in Morristown NY.