BETTENDORF, IOWA (September 21, 2021) — Bereskin Gallery and Art Academy is presenting the fifth-annual “Plein Air Paint Out” along the Mississippi River on Saturday, September 25, 7:30AM-3:30PM.
Artists may paint along the Mississippi from the I-80 Bridge to the Centennial Bridge on either side of the river. All mediums are acceptable.
From the entrants of the day, up to thirty artists will be selected to exhibit their work in a fall exhibition, October 1–30, at the Bereskin gallery, 2967 State St, Bettendorf. The opening reception is Friday, October 1, 5:30-7:30PM. Selected work will appear, following the exhibit, in the Adler Theatre display cases from November 1 to January 7.
“Not only is it a wonderful opportunity for the artist, but to be seen by how many during Festival of Trees, during the holiday season,” says gallery owner, artist, and teacher Pat Bereskin. Paintings will be offered for sale during the exhibition. The artists will receive 50% of the proceeds with the remaining 50% going to the Beréskin Art Academy Scholarship Fund.
Among the exhibit criteria are:
• Paintings/drawings are to be executed “en plein air,” ie, outdoors, from direct observation of the subject matter. (Working from photographs is not allowed.) Ninety percent of a painting/drawing must be completed on-site, allowing for minor adjustments to be made in the studio.
• Artwork may be done in any painting/drawing medium (eg, acrylic, gouache, ink, pastel, tempera,watercolor, mixed media, et al).
• Artwork (unframed) size must not exceed 36” in any direction.
• Artwork may be done of any subject matter within the boundaries of Bettendorf.
Completed, framed paintings/drawings may be turned in to Beréskin Gallery and Art Academy after the paint-out 3:30-4PM or on Monday, September 28, 9:30AM–2PM. There were thirty participating artists last year, and Bereskin displayed everything that was done that day. “We were grateful we had it last year,” she says.
“We would love artists to focus on the river. A special request is for the new and old bridge,” Bereskin says of the I-74 bridges, noting one painting will be selected for the annual holiday ornament that the Downtown Bettendorf Business Women sells to raise funds to support two scholarships ($500), for a Bettendorf and a Pleasant Valley High School senior planning on going into business. The scholarship is in honor of Debbie LaMar (1957-2018), a past Bettendorf alderwoman who worked hard for the city and the arts.
“She was like the number-one cheerleader in the area, to get everything, public sculpture. It was her behind all that,” Bereskin says. “Before she passed, we had been working on an Art Pride event in Bettendorf. She wanted to do that here, we have so much talent here.”
For the September 25 event, artists must register by Friday night and all artwork should be available for sale. Artist contact information will be made available to potential buyers. The artist will receive a check, the first of the month after the month the work has sold. (eg, painting sells October 20 — check will be issued November 1.)
All artwork (not intended for the Adler exhibit) must be picked up during regular business hours (Tuesday s-Fridays, 10AM–6PM, and Saturday, 9AM–4PM) on November 1. Artwork that will go on to be displayed at the Adler should be picked up during regular business hours January 12 from the Beréskin Gallery. The artwork not picked up by the deadline will be donated unless other arrangements are made.
Also, nature artist Jeff Gandert will be coming from Ohio, near Cincinnati, to exhibit his beautiful nature pieces, Bereskin said, adding he has been a good friend for more than a decade. This will be his second exhibit in Bereskin’s gallery.
Register online at http://www.bereskinartgallery.com or fill out and return a form, along with your $25 payment to 2967 State Street, Bettendorf, IA 52722. If you have questions, call 563-508-4630 or e-mail bereskinartgallery@gmail.com.
