Tom Blazier, Member No. 17,468, got in touch to tell us about the Cloud Appreciation Day that he helped organise on 6 August 2011 for his landscape painting society, the Plein Air Painters of New Mexico.

The winning entry: "Ever Changing" (14" x 11" oil on board) by Lee MacLeod

New Mexico is known for its dramatic skies – especially during the summer monsoon when magnificent cumulus buildups are a daily event. PAPNM designated the first Saturday of August Cloud Appreciation Day as a day for its members to celebrate the beauty of clouds by painting directly in the open air rather than in the studio. The paintings are a snapshot of how the sky looked in various locations on the same day as interpreted in each artist’s style.

Participating members painted the sky on August 6 2011 and entered digital photos of their paintings in the contest. Members then voted for their favorite painting from among entries exhibited online. The winning cloudscape was “Ever Changing” (14″ x 11″ oil on board) by Lee MacLeod of Santa Fe. Lee will be awarded with a membership certificate, button and gift from The Cloud Appreciation Society to be presented at the PAPNM annual meeting in December.
 
 
 
 
 

"High Summer" Reid Bandeen, Placitas 6" x 8" oil Placitas, NM

"Clouds Preparing For Sunset" by Karen L. Halbert, Santa Fe oil on linen/panel 9" x 12"

"Sunset View From Volcano Open Space ABQ" by Shirley Bales, Albuquerque 9" x 12" oil on canvas