SARANAC LAKE – In spite of moody Adirondack weather, the 2016 Adirondack Plein Air Festival, held Aug 15-20 in Saranac Lake, was once again a success and set a new record in terms of sales of original artwork.

Seventy-four artists from all over the country, and Canada, had signed up during the first seven hours that registration was open back at the end of February. By the time the event was about to start, 64 artists were here, ready to take part.

After four and a half days of painting outdoors, the show had an exhibit of several hundred paintings Aug 19-20 in the Harrietstown Town Hall.

The awards juror, artist John MacDonald from Massachusetts, selected the following prize winners: George Van Hook of Cambridge won the first-place prize for his oil painting “Lakeside.” He received $1,000 from Saranac Lake ArtWorks, a featured artist ad in Plein Air Magazine donated by Eric Rhoads and Streamline Publishing, a set of painting panels from Ampersand Gessoboards and other miscellaneous merchandise totalling over $2,000 in value.

Van Hook was also the first-place winner in 2013.

Alison Menke of Silver Spring Maryland won the second-place prize for her oil painting “Misty Walk.” The award was sponsored by Guide Realty and Geomatics Land Surveying and with merchandise included, was valued at more than $500.

Murray Taylor of Phoenix, Maryland had his oil painting of the town hall selected for the Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce for the cover of its 2017 Visitors Guide. He was awarded $250 donated by the Chamber.

Cynthia Rosen of Dorset, Vermont received the first ever “Best Lake Placid Painting” award, $250 donated by the Lake Placid Center for the Arts. Her oil painting of boats at the marina was titled “The Boats Wait & the Loon Calls.”

Eberhard Froehlich of Montreal was awarded the “Best VIC Painting” prize of $250, donated by Paul Smith’s College, for his oil painting of a glacial erratic. Eb was the 1st place winner in 2015.

Newcomer Sarah Yeoman of Hockessin, Deleware received the BookStore Plus Award of $250 in art supplies for her watercolor painting “Roaring Brook Falls.”

Kari Ganoung Ruiz, who won the Nocturne Contest, won the Saranac Lake Village Board Award of $250 for another nocturne, an oil painting titled “Midnight Lurking, Little Italy.”

Marilyn Fairman of Johnstown, whose painting graced the cover of the 2016 Chamber of Commerce Visitors Guide, was selected for the Rice Furniture Award of a $250 gift certificate. Her oil painting was called “Still Morning.”

Adriana Meiss of Syracuse won $250 donated by Community Bank for her pastel painting, “Five Minutes of Blue” (which reflected the weather conditions during the first days of the festival).

Gretchen Kelly of Hudson received an award valued at $200 from the Left Bank Cafe and French Canvas for her watercolor painting, “Bog River Falls.”

Ria Hyer of Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania won the $150 Adirondack Motel Award for her pastel, “Moody.”

New for 2016 was a “Nocturne Contest,” sponsored by the NorthWind Fine Arts Gallery. Participating artists were invited to enter paintings done at night, during the Festival, and approximately 50 were submitted. The first place prize of $100 went to Kari Ganoung Ruiz of Interlaken for her painting of the Mountain Mist Custard Stand titled “Last Twist of the Night.”

Additionally, all the participating artists are asked to vote for the “Artists’ Choice” award, which included $150 in cash, a $50 gift certificate from the Community Store, and merchandise. The winner was Kari Ganoung Ruiz.

AdkAction, who sponsored the Friday evening Preview Party, also donated $500 for the “People’s Choice” Award. Everyone who attended the Friday evening and Saturday Show & Sale were invited to vote. The winner was Patrick McPhee, of Binghamton.

On Saturday morning, the “Quick Draw” contest was held. Forty of the artists took part and had just two hours to produce a painting. Selected by juror Frances Gaffney of Wevertown and New York City, the winner was Alison Menke, for her painting of the town hall. She received $100, donated by the Adirondack Daily Enterprise and a “brush bouquet” donated by Rosemary Brushes, valued at more than $100. A second-place award of $100, donated by Saranac Lake ArtWorks, went to Kari Ganoung Ruiz.

Hundreds of visitors came to Saranac Lake for the Festival and a good number of them went home with paintings.

Photos of the prize winners and their paintings can be found online at saranaclakeartworks.com/pleinair.

The date for the 2017 event will be Aug 14 – 19.