The ninth annual Carmel on Canvas plein air event was held Sept. 15 to 17 and featured artists in an open-air painting exhibition and competition which took place on the sidewalks throughout the city’s central corridor.
“Carmel on Canvas was once again a great success with many talented artists traveling a great distance, including from our sister city of Jelgava, Latvia, to create images of our beautiful city landscapes,” Mayor Jim Brainard said. “I want to congratulate the winners and thank all of the participants for helping us to make this annual event one of the best of its kind in the country.”
The Carmel on Canvas plein air event hosted more than 60 highly acclaimed artists from the Midwest and beyond including Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, Florida, New York, and other communities as well as two international artists from Jelgeva, Latvia. The artists competed in a variety of plein air contests during the three-day event, registering in a division that matched their skill or age level; professional, non-professional, teen, and children. Chicago-based art teacher and artist Dan Danielson served as the judge.
On Saturday morning, a Quick Paint competition took place at the Carmel Farmers Market at Carter Green. Winners of that contest were selected by visitors to the market, which raised community awareness of the event overall. An Art Fair concluded the weekend on Sunday afternoon, where artists displayed and sold their work to visitors. Artists displayed creations from the Carmel on Canvas event as well as pieces from their broader scope of work.
The awards for the 2023 Carmel on Canvas are as follows:
PROFESSIONAL DIVISION
- Grand Prize ($3,000) Catherine LaPointe Vollmer, Potsdon, N.Y.
- 2nd Place ($2,000) Jason Bailey, Paducah, Ky.
- 3rd Place ($1,500) Stephanie Spay, Noblesville
- 4th Place ($1,000) David Seward, Zionsville
Merit Winners
- Shefali Khanna, Chicago, Ill.
- Todd Schabel, Horicon, Wis.
- Debra Howard, Omena, Mich.
- Dave Voelpel, Indianapolis
- Taylor Walker, Carmel
- Don Yang, Chicago, Ill.
- Kathy Blankenheim, Brownsburg, Ind.
- Melinda Spear-Huff, Sheridan
- Mark Millis, Bargersville, Ind.
- Tammie Dickerson, Belton, Mo.
NON-PROFESSIONAL DIVISION
- 1st Place, Sepideh Motevasel, Carmel
- 2nd Place, Shakila Garugu, Fishers
- 3rd Place, Laurie Kennard, Chicago, Ill.
Merit Winners
- Robert Jennings, Carmel
- Ruth Williams, Noblesville
TEEN DIVISION
- 1st Place, Angie Shieh, Carmel
- 2nd Place, Megan Xia, Carmel
- 3rd Place, Ella Guo, Carmel
CHILDREN’S DIVISION
- Merit Winner, Julie Cao, Carmel
Quick Paint
- 1st Place, Tammie Dickerson, Belton, Mo.
- 2nd Place, Don Yang, Chicago, Ill.
- 3rd Place, Anna Afshar, Fishers
- Children’s Category, Julie Cao, Carmel
Purchase Awards
Carmel on Canvas artists have the opportunity to compete for Purchase Awards by painting the sponsoring business’ establishment and winning the listed monetary prize. Purchase Awards paintings are not included in the Plein Air Paint Out.
Congratulations to the artists listed below with the participating businesses:
- Indiana Design Center ($300) Tammie Dickerson, Belton, Mo.
- Carrie Holle Group ($400) Brad Fields, Fishers
- All Things Carmel ($500) Jeff Baumgartner, Michigan City, Ind.
In addition to Purchase Award sponsors, thank you to other event sponsors:
- Carmel Arts Council
- Chapman-Osborne Legacy Realtors
- City of Carmel
- Indiana Design Center
- Promote Carmel, Inc.