Plein on Main
Art contest to take place in downtown Batesville
The sun is shining, a cool breeze is blowing, and the roads are decorated with the rust colors of falling leaves. This is an ideal scene for artists to bring acrylic paint, ink pens, pencils or watercolors for a weekend of outdoor live painting in historic downtown Batesville for Plein on Main from Oct. 27-29.
Bruce Oakley, vice president of the Gallery 246 board of directors, said participants will meet by 10 a.m. Oct. 28 at the gallery, 243 E. Main St.
Artists will then choose an area downtown to create their pieces in a medium of his or her choice through late afternoon, he said.
“A ‘plein air’ contest is an open-air live-painting competition in which artists find a favorite scene within a prescribed area, spend a specified time creating a work in the medium of their choice and submit it for a concluding show before a judge,” he explained.
The entry free is $60, Oakley said, and while there is no hard entry deadline, participants are encouraged to register by Oct. 15.
“The contest area spans the historic downtown Main Street residential district from 10th Street to Fifth Street; the revitalized downtown with its new streetscape on Main from Fifth to the restored Melba Theater; and extends to College Street one block south of Main and Water Street one block north,” he said.
Artists will return to their original work sites Oct. 29 for part of the day to finish up, he said, then bring their pieces to the Barnett Building on East Main Street for public showing and judging.
Oakley said the entry fee includes a free dinner Oct. 27 or 28, a light breakfast Oct. 28 and 29 at the gallery, and a free documentary screening of Diego Rivera: I Paint What I See.” Oakley said CIX at 109 Main St., a restaurant in downtown Batesville, has committed to offering dinner to contestants.
Breakfast at the gallery will include fruit, pastries and juice, he said.
The documentary will show at 7 p.m. Oct. 28 at the Landers Theater at 332 E. Main St.
The First Community Bank Purchase Prize of $600, in which a bank representative will choose a piece from the entries to purchase for the guaranteed price, will go to one lucky artist, he said.
Judge Bonnie Kay Buerkle will then select three top pieces, and winners will receive $500, $250 and $125, as well as retain sales rights to those works, he said.
Oakley said Gallery 246, a dream-turned-reality for local educators and artists in the Batesville community, opened in August 2015.
“The state’s oldest town, with its revitalized downtown, makes this special. Its historic beauty and new energy are the key features we want to spotlight, while also showing off local talent and drawing new creative friends to the area, who can then be Batesville ambassadors far and wide,” he said.
Aline McCracken, board member, said this will be the first contest where the focus is on downtown Batesville itself.
“There are other events like this in the state, but usually they focus on the landscape. Batesville is the oldest city in the state. We’ve had a renaissance on Main Street with improvements made, new buildings, businesses, places to eat and several art galleries. We’ve had this movement of art in the town,” she said.
McCracken said Batesville’s strong preservation society and beautiful residential area make the town unique.
McCracken said what she looks forward to the most about Plein on Main is having a good time with fellow artists.
“We’d be happy with 20 [participants], but we have room for whoever wants to come,” she said.
McCracken said participants will receive a T-shirt just for joining the competition.
Gallery 246 offers a variety of classes and workshops throughout the year, she said, ranging from oil painting to jewelry making.
“We just finished a really exciting class called Family Amphibian Art, which we did in cooperation with Nancy Kohn, who teaches biology at Lyon College. We learned about Arkansas amphibians, designed T-shirts and made paper-mache salamanders,” she said.
“We really just want to share the beauty of Batesville with other artists.”
For more information or to register for Plein on Main, contact Gallery 246 at (870) 262-8066 or www.Gallery246.com. Staff writer Kayla Baugh can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or kbaugh@arkansasonline.com.