PleinAir Salon Spotlight: “Utility Truck”

Let’s extend our warmest congratulations to Charles Newman, Third Place Winner of the 13th Annual PleinAir® Salon Art Competition. Charles’s exceptional painting, “Utility Truck,” has earned him this well-deserved recognition, along with a prize of $2,000. I had the honor of interviewing Charles in person at the Plein Air Convention & Expo, where the awards were announced live on the main stage.

“It felt amazing, a huge amount of excitement because this is the third place from each month of the year,” Charles said.

The subject of his winning painting is a neighbor’s utility truck that Charles passes daily. “I was inspired to paint it because I enjoy capturing overlooked subjects. I don’t even think I’ve ever met the owner.”

When it comes to the challenges of painting “Utility Truck,” Charles tells us, “The main one I had was to paint quickly, but that’s not unique. A lot of times you have to paint quickly when you’re put under pressure. And also, adjusting my values so the viewer doesn’t read something wrong, like the back of the truck versus the background. As far as unique challenges … nothing else comes to mind besides my wife telling me to hurry up because we have to take our kids somewhere. Maybe that’s universal.”

Overall, he said, “It just felt so fresh to me. While applying the underpainting and initial drawing, I make a mess; it’s like a blob of a shape. And then it comes together. One thing that went well is that I didn’t overwork it. It probably took me 70-75 minutes.”

His advice to others on entering the PleinAir Salon: “Don’t be afraid to do it. You never know what can happen. You don’t have to submit every month, you could do it every other month or just whenever you feel confident about a painting that you have. So give it a shot – it doesn’t hurt.”

Helpful Links

• Connect with Charles Newman at charlesnewmanarts.com.
• Enter your best work in the PleinAir Salon at pleinairsalon.com.