Quickdraw

Come see artists paint against the clock in this 2-hour painting event that’s open to anyone over the age of 14.

Artists may use any medium, but must paint in the plein air tradition. Bring your own supplies and easel and paint with the pros. The registration fee is $20.00. You may also register at check-in. Checkin begins at 8 am. At check-in you will receive your number and have your blank canvas(es) stamped.

The Quickdraw Event The 2020 Quickdraw will be held at the Mexico Beach Welcome Center, 102 Canal Parkway, Mexico Beach. The area is still recovering from Hurricane Michael, but remains a painter’s dreamscape, with pristine beaches and amazing views. You will receive a ticket to the evening reception with your participation in the quickdraw. Guest/spouse tickets can be purchased separately online also before the reception.

Register for Quickdraw Register online at www.ForgottenCoastEnPleinAir.com. Open class is for painters who do not paint professionally, or earn a living as a plein air artist. Professional class is for artists who sell their work, teach workshops, and paint “en plein air” as a source of income. Artists may use any medium, but must paint in the plein air tradition. Canvases must be blank, and design work cannot begin prior to the 9 am horn.

Judging and Awards All artists must be set up for judging by 11:30 EST. Judging will begin at 11:30 pm EST and end at 12:30 pm EST. The Quickdraw Awards are announced and ribbons are awarded at the Mexico Beach Visitor’s Center, 102 Canal Parkway. NOTE: Artists must provide their own frame if chosen for the Quickdraw Exhibit.

Reception and Exhibition A special exhibition of 40 Quickdraw works will be selected by the event judge, Sam Knecht, and hung at the Quickdraw Reception the evening of March 21 from 6 to 8pm at the Center for History and Culture in Apalachicola. Tickets to the reception are $20.00. Your Quickdraw entry fee gets you a complimentary ticket. All paintings will be for sale. In addition, you can view and purchase works from the Florida’s Finest Collection in the same gallery. The two exhibits will remain be open to the public each day from March 22-27, 11am to 5pm and March 28 11 am to 3 pm.

Painting Sales Each piece of artwork is required to be for sale and to have a title and price written on the provided label. Each participating artist should consider Forgotten Coast en Plein Air as his or her gallery. There will be a 50% commission collected from the proceeds of each Quickdraw sale to fund this event. Proceeds from our annual plein air event are shared with communities in Franklin and Gulf counties.

Artists check in at the registration desk, pay (if they haven’t already), have their blank canvases stamped, and pick up their title and price label. No canvas will be stamped if painting/design has been begun prior to the starting time. Deadline for pre-registration is Thursday, March 20.

A horn will signal the beginning of the event and artists begin painting en plein air style on any subject. The Quickdraw artwork must be created during the Quickdraw time frame.

The horn will signal the end of the event. Quickdraw artists bring their completed artwork and easels to the exhibit/sale area for the judging and sale. Artists are responsible for returning on time even if they are not within hearing distance of the horn.

Celebrate the results of the Quickdraw challenge, hear the judging perspective from Sam Knecht, and learn why the selected paintings are winners.

With a career spanning four decades, Sam Knecht paints portraits and landscapes in oils, watercolor, and egg tempera. He earned his MFA degree in painting from the School of Art, University of Michigan with additional training at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

Knecht’s work was brought to national attention in American Artist magazine (November, 1981) with his article on egg tempera and watercolor. In 2010 he was one of twenty contemporary artists and studios profiled in the American Artist Studios 20 publication. In 2016 Knecht was awarded Signature Status by the Portrait Society of America. Society hosted Awards in Members Only competitions include First Place Aqueous Media in 2009.

Knecht’s largest commission work, “The Signing of the American Constitution” hangs in the Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship” in Washington D. C.

Knecht divides his energies between plein air and studio. He began outdoor painting seriously during his teens at the family cottage on a wilderness lake in northern Ontario. He has painted in Italy, France, Mexico, and most of the Midwest states, especially as a life-long resident of Michigan.

Now an Emeritus Professor of Art at Hillsdale College, he has taught there since 1973. He chaired its Department of Art for 35 years. See his work at www.knechtstudio.com.

This year, three of our returning Plein Air artists spent time documenting key elements of our Forgotten Coast heritage. These artists immersed themselves in their assigned topics and together have produced an amazing body of work. They will present their work at separate receptions, where their work will be hung from March 20-27. See below for times and locations. On March 27, the works will be moved to the Wet Room in Port St. Joe and be available for viewing and purchase until 3 pm March 29.

Steve Jobs said that “creativity is connecting things.” Mark’s residency will explore the connection of elements in the Forgotten Coast, such as climate change and the morphing coastal culture. Riffing on the theme that necessity is the mother of invention, Mark will illustrate how change sparks creativity. Through interviews of biologists, architects, seafood workers, city planners, and other integral, but seemingly unconnected, parts of the community, Mark synthesizes how creative thinking, and its infectious nature, can build stronger community infrastructure, both metaphorically and physically.

Presentation: March 20, 6-8 pm Cal Allen Gallery, 102 SE Avenue B, Carrabelle

“The Ebb and Flow of Music in The Forgotten Coast” by Vicki Norman Vicki’s residency was inspired by the music and musicians of the Forgotten Coast. From dark bars, sunlit churches, and school classrooms, the music that ebbs and flows throughout life in the region offers a rich and varied soundtrack of gospel, choir, classical, jazz, folk, and rock. “Music is this beautiful, invisible web that runs through all parts of the community,” says Vicki. Her paintings explore the way that music connects individuals with their community, their family, and their God. Vicki’s residency work reveals the shared principles of composition, movement, pitch, balance, and rhythm and how they apply to both music and painting.

Presentation: March 23, 6:30 to 8:30 pm Center for History, Culture, and Art, 86 Water Street, Apalachicola

“The Roots of Black Leadership on the Forgotten Coast” by Kendall Portis Education, religion, athletics, and neighborhood boundaries helped create strong bonds in the African American communities of the Forgotten Coast. These foundations developed community leaders, some who remained at home, uplifting their local neighborhoods, as well as others who went out into the world to become noteworthy in other ways. Kendall’s residency provides a visual narrative into these accomplishments through personal portraits, neighborhood architecture, and family activities that reveal stories of dedication, richness, and culture.

Presentation: March 24, 6:30-8:30 pm Berkshire Hathaway Office, 140 W 1st Street, St. George Island

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Richeson75 International Competitions Best in Show $ 5,000 Cash Award Landscape, Seascape & Architecture Entry Deadline: April 28 call for artists For other 2020 competition deadlines and prospectus, visit richeson75.com