Sonoma landscapes Plein to see

Paintings of local landscapes and outdoor scenes, painted throughout the Valley this week by 35 different artists, go on display and sale Saturday, September 19, as the Sonoma Plein Air Festival culminates in a free event on Sonoma Plaza. The day inlcides the art show and sale, children’s art classes, live music, art supplies and more. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sonomapleinair.com.

Photo: Keith Wicks, artist and a founder of Sonoma Plein Air Festival, works on a Plaza scene.

The juried event brings nationally recognized plein air (“open air” in French) artists to Sonoma for a week of painting the inspiring landscapes of Sonoma Valley. The work is both spontaneous and challenging, as the artist endeavors to capture the essence of both light and scene. The paintings are stylized but true to the moment.

Creating landscape art on location outdoors produces more than beautiful paintings — it raises funds to support school age children with art supplies and education. The Sonoma Plein Air Foundation has raised more than $865,000 since its inception in 2002, primarily through the Sonoma Plein Air Festival.

This year, the 13th annual Sonoma Plein Air Festival has invited 35 renowned local and national artists to participate. Local artist Keith Wicks, founding member of the Sonoma Plein Air Foundation (SPAF), a non-profit organization dedicated to expanding the role of art education, has devoted much of his time to teaching art at the Academy of Art in San Francisco and various charities which promote art education in public schools.

Other local artists participating in this year’s festival include Dick Cole of Sonoma, pastelist Clark G. Mitchell of Cotati, Abigail Zimmerman of Santa Rosa and Dennis Ziemienski of Sonoma.

Along with Sonoma neighborhood schools, recipients of SPAF funding include: Sonoma Valley Art Museum, Sonoma Community Center, Arts Guild of Sonoma and ARTescape.

Festival events include the week long open air painting by the 2015 renowned Plein Air artists; a Quick Draw demonstration and sale September 15 during the Tuesday evening Farmers Market in the Plaza; and the Community Festival, with a Plein Air Art Exhibit and sale, children’s art classes and more in the Sonoma Plaza from 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday, September 19. All are free to the public. Find out more at Sonomapleinair.com.

Photo: George Murphy