More than a dozen artists fanned out Sunday morning across Jefferson City.
They set up easels and mixed paint with their subjects in clear view, making sidewalks and small patches of grass their studios for the day.
Kaylee West picked a spot at the corner of Jefferson and West High streets and positioned her easel to get an unobstructed view of High Street’s morning activity. West said she found the yellow trees against the red and gray brick buildings inspiring.
“It helps me know what I’m painting and how to capture how it feels to be outside,” the 16-year-old painter said of painting outdoors. “I apparently like to challenge myself.”
West was one of 15 artists who participated in the Jefferson City Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department’s inaugural Plein Air Art Competition. “En plein air” is a French expression that refers to the act of painting outdoors with a subject in full view.
Leann Porrello, cultural arts specialist for JC Parks, said many neighboring communities host plein air art events and “with us being the Capital City and having so many historic buildings and things, we thought it was only appropriate to invite the artists to our community to get out there and paint.”
Artists from Jefferson City and beyond worked on their paintings from 6 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. Their work was then collected and showcased at a reception Sunday evening at McClung Park, where interested buyers could purchase the paintings. Funds went to the artists directly and to support the Jefferson City Art Club.
“It’s a good balance of people from here and people coming from out of town just to come paint in our city,” Porrello said. “There will be a lot of different perspectives of what beauty is in Jefferson City.”
Artists could choose anywhere to set up for the day. The Parks Department also offered some specialty locations for artists to reserve, such as the Missouri State Penitentiary and Missouri River Bridge.
“It’s kind of a cool glimpse into our city from an artist’s perspective,” Porrello said.
Janis Burgin set up her outdoor studio at Deborah Cooper Park on Adrian’s Island. She was planning to paint two canvases: one of the Missouri River Bridge and another of the State Capitol Building.
“It’s just true art — you’re painting what you see, not what you think you see,” Burgin said as she added foliage to the banks of the Missouri River on her canvas. “It’s just true. There’s no cheating about it.”
Burgin said she knew she wanted to spend a day painting at Adrian’s Island upon taking her first trip soon after the Bicentennial Bridge was completed.
“As soon as it was open for the public, I came, and I’ve wanted to paint that bridge ever since,” she said. “But, you know, you get busy.”
Burgin is the resident artist at Art Gallery-Studio off Northeast Drive and has been teaching art for more than 30 years. She studied under Bob Ross, host of “The Joy of Painting” PBS show, and became a “Certified Ross Instructor” after also completing five years of art school. She instructs weekly “painting-in-a-day” courses, among others.
Burgin is a member of the Jefferson City Art Club and previously sat on the board of Capital Arts. She said she participated in the plein air event to help ensure the community builds on the momentum created around art in recent years.
“Jefferson City has really grown in the arts,” she said. “And I love it because art can do a lot for people. It’s good therapy.”
Burgin said she’s interested in hosting a workshop on plein air painting ahead of next year’s event. Some of her students joined her Sunday at Adrian’s Island to watch her work.
Ben Cook has been studying under Burgin for about a year and a half and is learning how to mix colors and define a scene’s composition. He said he’s thinking about participating in next year’s Plein Air Art Competition and “wanted to see (Burgin) do it in action first.”
Cook said he already has some locations in mind for next year.
“I’d love to get local landmarks,” he said, “whether that be the Governor’s Mansion or the garden there or probably some of the other historical places.”
Porrello said she’s excited to see the event grow next year, adding the Parks Department is already generating new location ideas.
Ryan Pivoney/News Tribune
Artist Kaylee West adds yellow to a tree included in the landscape of High Street she painted Sunday during the first Plein Air Art Competition sponsored by the Jefferson City Parks Department. West, 16, was one of more than a dozen artists to participate.
Ryan Pivoney/News Tribune
Artist Janis Burgin works on one of two landscape paintings she created Sunday at Deborah Cooper Park on Adrian’s Island. Burgin painted the Missouri River Bridge and the State Capitol Building for the first Plein Air Art Competition hosted by the Jefferson City Parks Department.
Ryan Pivoney/News Tribune
16-year-old artist Kaylee West adds to the High Street landscape she painted Sunday for the Plein Air Art Competition sponsored by the Jefferson City Parks Department. West said painting outdoors helps to keep her true to the subject matter.
Ryan Pivoney/News Tribune
Artist Janis Burgin mixes paint to add to her landscape of the Missouri River Bridge during Sunday’s Plein Air Art Competition sponsored by the Jefferson City Parks Department.