Each year the Tustin Art Walk holds a Plien Air Art Contest. For a week before the Art Walk artist descend on Old Town Tustin and Tustin Parks to paint the plien air. This yearly contest continues to grow. Below you will find information about the judges and pictures of this years submissions.
Judges
Each year a group of qualified judges are selected by the Art Walk committee so the art can be impartially judged by professional artist. This year’s judges are:
Bonnie Leigh
A native Californian, Bonnie comes from a long line of professional artists. Her first museum show, some forty years ago, at the Bowers Museum awarded her first place and an honorable mention. The first place also won a tour of the US which took 5 years to be returned to her. This was the beginning of many such awards that continue to the present. Bonnie has worked in a multitude of media’s ranging from, copper, mosaics, enameling, sculpting, leather and the hand carving of many varieties of wood. The subject matter of Bonnie’s art is life in multitude of forms; plants, animals and occasionally fantasy animals such as her leather dragons. Bonnie has exhibited her artwork at the Laguna Beach Sawdust Festival and the Laguna Beach Art-A-Fair. If you would like to view Bonnie’s artwork you can contact her at bleigh211@hotmail.com
Charleine Guy
Charleine Guy is abstract mixed media artist who was born in Québec Canada. Her family immigrated to the United States when she was ten years old. She is the second child of David and Gertrude Guy and has four siblings. Being raised in a large French-Canadian family created an atmosphere of many things for her to experience and visually take in from to create he art. She first started her art journey when she was six at the French convent school' "Marie Marguerite Bourjeois". As she grew she excelled in many arts that included Singing, Dancing and especially painting. As a young girl she had many influences. One large influence in her life was her uncle "Paul Tremble'", who was a successful oil painter in Quebec. His landscapes of the four seasons were especially influential on Charleine's young life. After her family migrated to the United States she attended Incarnation grammar school in Glendale Ca. She then attended holy family high school in Los Angeles where she took many art and performing art classes. After high school she got married and started a family. After successfully raising her children she decided to go back to school and major in art in particular, "Abstract and Mixed Media". The Art life has always been a large part of who she is so she and her husband Richard Frederick decided to move to Laguna Beach, Ca and join the art colony. After establishing residency in the city, she applied and was accepted as an exhibitor at the Sawdust Festival where she served on many boards and committees. In the first three years of her time there she used abstract art as her medium. She then added ceramics to her repertoire where she created a series of Raku masks and one of a kind vessels. After years of doing clay she decided to transfer all her time and efforts in painting. As she easily suffers from boredom and is forever evolving, she then decided to change her medium and began to do impressionist art and continued to do so successfully for fifteen years. Today she feels as the world is constantly changing her visual journey is transforming her work and has evolved into a new genre of art. Collage abstraction work of mixed media has become her new passion and interest in her life's journey. Charleine’s work is currently on display at the Hugo Rivera Gallery in Laguna Beach - Cguyart.com
Jeff Sewell
Laguna Beach, Ca. Jeff Sewell is a native to Southern California. Artist Jeff Sewell was born and raised in Southern California. Jeff is well known for his Paintings of California Scenery, although he spends many trips throughout the year traveling to paint the great Western scenery of Colorado, Utah and Arizona. He paints predominantly “en plein air” and also enjoys developing works in his studio. Jeff Sewell was Honored in 2017 to have his "Painting "Catalina Twilight" Accepted into the Permanent Collection of the Irvine Museum. His other works Displayed at the Irvine Museum, Ca. are "A Little Beach Break" 2016 Summer Idyl Show, "On This New Morning" Shadows & Light Show 2015 show), & “Oaks Of Glory” part of the (Then & Now-100 years of California Impressionism -2014). Jeff Sewell is an Award wining American Artist, focusing in California Impressionism. Jeff has won many awards in the past years. (Some of these Listed) - The 2015 Laguna Beach Plein Air invitational "Collectors Choice Award" and "the Randy Higbee Award of Excellence" Jeff has been recognized with 1st, 2nd, 3rd Place & Honorable Mention Ribbons in the Borrego Springs(Calif) Plein Air Invitational. In 2011 Jeff Received “Collectors Choice” during the prestigious Laguna Beach Plein Air invitational. In 2013 “Laguna Canyon Foundation Award” Laguna Beach Plein Air invitational. Jeff has also received numerous other awards in many Plein Air Events. Jeff Sewell is a distinguished Signature Member of the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association(LPAPA). He also serves on the LPAPA Board of Directors as the “Director of Education and Mentorship” Helping to pass on the history and importance of California Impressionism to hundreds of students each year with a program he instilled called “The Plein Air Project”. Jeff is also an Esteemed Artist Member of the California Art Club and most recently became a recognized Signature Member of the American Society of Marine Artists. Jeff studied art at USC and Irvine Valley College, yet finds his Greatest influence is from the works of Past Master Impressionists such as Edgar Payne, William Wendt, Joaquin Sorrolla, Maynard Dixon and countless current living Impressionists, artists Jeff Horn, Glen Dean, Michael Situ and Michael Obermyer to name a few. Growing up in Orange County has attached Jeff deeply to the ocean life style. “My dream days start with a surf in the morning and then spending the day with my feet in the sand painting seascapes and beach scenes”. For over four decades Jeff has appreciated this area of great diversity eventually finding an even deeper connection with Southern California when painting “en plein air”. Find more about Jeff at Jeffsewellart.com
2020 Submissions:
This year we have 20 individuals who have submitted art to the contest. Below are pictures of the submissions with prices of the art for individuals interested in purchasing the art. Please call Tustin Parks and Recreation at (714) 573-3326. Thea Parks and Recreation department will take your information and have the artist contact the interested party.
