The wonders of seeing original paintings created over the 9 day art event are fond memories. Celebrating art was evident at all 16 art activities during the Maui Plein Air Painting Invitational. With the Kick-Off Paint Out at Lahaina Harbor and the Art Sale in The Pioneer Inn Courtyard, an inspirational ‘mood’ led to a week of viewing gripping ( or riveting) artworks. The Afternoon Paint Out at Montage Kapalua Bay experienced occasional rain off and on throughout the afternoon. While it may have been challenging for collectors to ‘dodge’ the rain drops, artists stood fast in their mission to create scenic artworks of the beautiful Kapalua Bay and the stunning Montage Kapalua Bay property. In addition, a male Hawaiian model allowed artists the opportunity to show off their figurative talents. The Quick Draw, held at the Royal Lahaina Resort beach enticed a large crowd to stroll the oceanfront and adjacent resort properties to watch these top artists create finished paintings in two hours.
Twenty-three artists created over 200 original paintings throughout the nine day art event. Each submitted five paintings for judging to compete for the $2750 cash awards, seven art supplies company products and gift certificates, and eight MPAPI Sponsor awards. Jean Stern, Sr. Curator, UCI IMCA, said that the 15th year of judging continues to be challenging due to the high quality of work. He said, “There are so many great paintings, that to only select a few for awards is daunting.” We have to agree. He judged 110 paintings, a subset of the 200+ wonderful paintings for viewing during the entire event! The following are images of the award winning paintings. Click on image to see a full representation of the painting.