Wyoming Arts Council

Plein Air in the Parks Award Winners Announced


The Wyoming Arts Council and State Parks recently concluded two Plein Air in the Parks events.

The first event was held Aug. 26-29 at the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site and the second event was held at Buffalo Bill State Park Sept. 9-12. This annual painting and drawing competition pairs talented artists with beautiful locations, and offers cash prizes to top participants.

Award winners from the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site are:

Best in Show – Lori Kostur (Saratoga), “Beauty in the Ordinary”

2nd Place – Svetlana Howe (Laramie), “Old Ranch”

3rd Place – James Overstreet (Cheyenne), “Deadwood”

People’s Choice Award – John D. Baker (Laramie), “Penitentiary in Morning Light”

Judges for the Laramie competition were Laura McDermit, Executive Director of the Laramie Public Art Coalition, and Lynette Nelson, State Parks staff. Artwork created is on view and available for sale at the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site in the Horse Barn Gallery through Oct. 2.

Award winners from Buffalo Bill State Park are:

Laramie Artist Joe Arnold won Best in Show at Plein Air in the Parks for his painting, “Along the North Fork.”

Best in Show – Joe Arnold (Laramie), “Along the North Fork”

2nd Place – Linda Jolley (Greybull), “Evening Glow”

3rd Place – David Kewitt (Cody), “Evening’s Entertainment”

People’s Choice Award – Linda Jolley (Laramie), “Casting Shadows”

1st Place Teen Division – Emmalee Nordland (Powell), “Sage and Smoke”

2nd Place Teen Division – Emmalee Nordland (Powell), “Driftwood”

1st Place Youth Division – Linley Richardson (Powell), “Footprints in Rivers”

2nd Place Youth Division – Linley Richardson (Powell), “Footprints in the Sand”

3rd Place Youth Division – Sebastian Jessup (Powell), “Big Mountain”

Judges for the competition in Cody were Anne Toner, Assistant Professor of Art at Northwest College, and Don Schmalz, State Parks and Cultural Resources Commissioner. Artwork created during the event by Cody Country Art League members will be on view and available for sale at the Cody Country Art League (836 Sheridan Ave.) beginning on Sept. 20.

“Congratulations to this year’s award winners. It’s impressive and inspiring to see such beautiful work created on-site in such a short amount of time,” says Rachel Clifton, Assistant Director of the Wyoming Arts Council. “We’re also grateful to our partners in both Laramie and Cody for helping make these events possible.”

Plein Air in the Parks is a collaborative weekend event presented this year by Wyoming State Parks, the Wyoming Arts Council, the Cody Country Art League, Laramie Artists Project, and the University of Wyoming Art Museum.


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