A cache of talented artists are bringing their palettes to the great outdoors once again, for the 10th annual Paint on the Mountain contest.
On July 29 and 30, 16 past prize winners from the en plein air challenge gathered on the slopes of Lower Hollyburn Mountain in West Vancouver for a special winners’ invitational version of the event.
In partnership with the Harmony Arts Festival, the artworks will be displayed Aug. 1 to 10 in the British Properties tent on the Ambleside waterfront, and are all available to buy.
The winners will be announced Monday (Aug. 4) with a jury awarding a grand prize of $1,500 and additional prizes for second and third place.
The contest was launched in 2015 by British Properties in collaboration with members of West Van’s artistic community. Paint on the Mountain invites artists to step outside the studio and paint en plein air – “a practice that captures the immediacy, colour, light and movement of the natural world,” according to a press release.
British Properties started the contest as a way to capture and celebrate the nuances of the coastal mountain landscape, said Bryce Tupper, the development company’s executive vice-president.
“This 10th anniversary year is particularly meaningful as we officially broke ground on Cypress Village where we will be building a community entwined with this same extraordinary setting,” he said.
The contest has become a cornerstone of the Harmony Arts Festival, thanks to British Properties’ vision and long-term commitment to celebrating the environment through art, said Ruth Payne, West Vancouver art curator.
“Year after year, we are inspired by the talent and dedication of the artists who capture the essence of this place en plein air,” she said.
This year’s list of participants includes West Vancouver’s own Page Samis and Shirley Williams, as well as Danyne Johnston and Maria Josenhans from North Van.
