A group of about 50 artists set up their easels outdoors at some of the village of Oak Park’s most recognizable locations from Sept. 5 to 7 as part of the first-ever Plein Air Arts Festival. The artists brought Oak Park to life on canvas by creating paintings throughout the Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District, in downtown Oak Park and near Petersen’s Ice Cream.
The French term “plein air” means open air. This style of art is all about painting what you can see directly in front of you, according to Taz Stahlnecker, the program coordinator at Oak Park Area Arts Council, which organized the event.
“There’s no reference photos, there’s no using technology. It’s just putting your easel down, putting a canvas up, and painting what you can see,” Stahlnecker explained. The participating artists turned Oak Park into their own open air studio for the weekend.
Typically, plein air festivals are only open to experienced plein air artists, but the Oak Park festival welcomed both experienced and first-time plein air artists. This gave the first timers an opportunity to be part of the festival and experience the special sense of community and camaraderie.
First time plein air artist Neeta Maheshwari was looking for opportunities to try and paint outdoors more, as nature is one of her most significant artistic inspirations. “I go for a walk every morning, and it inspires me,” said Maheshwari. “Every day, I find something to paint.”
When she heard about the Plein Air Arts Festival on social media, she thought it was a perfect fit for her. “I paint every single day, but I never painted outside of my studio until today,” Maheshwari said while working on her painting of the Frank Lloyd Wright Studio Home. “This is my first time painting outdoors…This is a good beginning of my new career.”
Along the same block, many members of the one of the oldest plein air artist groups, Plein Air Painters Chicago, dedicated their weekend to painting some of Oak Park’s most famous settings. The director of Plein Air Painters Chicago, Laurie Kennard, has been doing plein air art since 2014. “We come out every weekend and paint a different location… from April through the end of October,” Kennard said. “It’s a big community, and it’s a friendly community.”
Artists in Plein Air Painters Chicago build this community by getting together throughout the year. They host shared exhibits, workshops and classes. After festivals or events such as this one, they’ll also often get lunch with each other and bond over shared experiences.
Although Maheshwari is not a part of Plein Air Painters Chicago, she said she was able to see and feel the strong sense of community from the other painters all around her. “I feel at home…People are nice, and I’m enjoying myself,” Maheshwari said.
At the end of the weekend, the festival concluded at a reception at The 19th Century Club. Community members and artists came together to enjoy a live jazz band, food and beverages as they viewed the hundreds of paintings created throughout the weekend. Artists were selling their work, networking with other artists and celebrating a successful weekend of painting in such a warm, supportive and creative community.
All plein air artists had the opportunity to submit their work to compete for an award at the reception. There were seven awards, including Best in Show, Second Place, Best First-Time Plein Air Artist, Best Historic/Residential Architecture, Best Painting in the Oak Park Arts District, Coolest Urban Vibes and Best Use of Color.
Three judges determined the winners who received cash prizes ranging from $250 to $750. The final winners were:
Best of Show: Iris Gun
Second Place: Evelyn Reese
Best First Time in a Plein Air Festival: Brandon Williams
Best Historic or Residential Building: Tom Bassett Dilley
Best in the Oak Park Arts District: Arturo Reyes
Coolest Urban Vibes: Tim Lemmings
Best Use of Color: Christopher Tuscan
The Oak Park Plein Air Festival also had a People’s Choice award in which people voted for their favorite painting. The People’s Choice winner was Evelyn Reese.
