Painting in Plein Air

“Spark Imagination” is the theme for this year’s 12th Annual Sonoma Plein Air Festival, in which funds raised from the work of 36 professional painters will pave the way for art activities in local schools. The artists will be seen creating on their canvases throughout the Valley the week of Sept. 15, and then their work will be sold at the festival on Sonoma Plaza on Saturday, Sept. 20.

The artists will also be at their easels all around the Plaza at the Farmer’s Market on Tuesday, Sept. 16, from the Quick Draw event, and that work will be sold on the spot at Charles Creek Winery at about 7 p.m.

Plein air (pronounced plen air) is the French phrase for painting outside and capturing the natural light. Plein air painters from throughout the United States apply to participate in this juried event, and come from as far as Wisconsin and Vermont. Each artist creates three to five paintings a day while they are in Sonoma. When the paintings are sold, the artist keeps 60 percent and 40 percent goes to the Plein Air Foundation, which funds school art projects.

Three local artists are also participating again this year. They are Dennis Ziemienski, Dick Cole and Keith Wicks, who founded the festival when his daughter was disappointed that they only had art in school once a month. Wicks came up with the idea for the plein air festival, which has now raised $740,000 for youth art programs.

This year, each artist will also have paintings for sale that they painted prior to the festival. They will be displayed at the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, Wednesday through Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“We refreshed our look this year,” said board member Judy Young, crediting volunteer Roberta Cohen with the newly designed website and vibrant poster. “We also wanted it to be more about the kids,” she said. With that goal in mind, art created by students at Flowery School will be on view at Saturday’s Plaza event, where there will also be a drop-in painting opportunity for children near the rose garden.

Child-sized easels and supplies will be available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. “To give kids a chance to be creative,” Young said.

Acoustic entertainer Ben Mallare will provide entertainment, and Valley Vibes Youth Orchestra, a group of violinists from El Verano School, will also perform.

On Friday, Sept. 19, the Gala Dinner and Auction takes place at the Sonoma Mission Inn, and there are a few tickets still available. The painters themselves vote on which painting was the best of all created during the week, and that “Artist’s Choice” winner is auctioned at the gala.

“The most important thing about the festival is that it raises a significant amount for art education in the schools,” Young said. “There is more and more research coming out about the value of art for kids’ self esteem and improving their performance in other subjects.”

The visiting artists are all housed in homes of Sonoma residents who donate their hospitality.

Some festival-goers have amassed quite a collection of plein air paintings over the years. “We hope people might consider buying a painting as a gift or to donate to another nonprofit,” Young said.

For those who may not be able to afford a painting, donations of any amount are appreciated and can be made directly through the website, sonomapleinair.com.

Friday, September 12, 2014 B1