PORT ANGELES — Professional and amateur painters wrapped up a busy week of artistic activities Sunday during the Paint the Peninsula festival’s final day of events at the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center.
There was a lot of interest all week and on Saturday, but Sunday’s turnout was low, a fact organizers blamed on having a Seattle Seahawks game scheduled at about the same time.
“It must be the Seahawks game,” said Robin Anderson, executive director of the fine arts center, 1203 E. Lauridsen Blvd., during the sparsely attended awards ceremony early Sunday afternoon.
The parking lot remained empty at 2 p.m. as volunteers outnumbered the occasional visitors at the Panache! Festival of Colors, in which visitors were given white T-shirts to paint while wearing them, and face painting materials were available for visitors to use on each other.
“That’s the art killer right there,” art festival volunteer Sarah Tucker said of the football game.
Port Angeles resident Julia Durand, 24, chose to paint blue swirls on her shirt, using a mirror to judge what she was doing.
It was her first visit since moving to Port Angeles in October 2014, Durand said.
“Occasionally I paint. I like it, but I don’t do it often,” she said.
Nearby at the face painting station, Melanie Arrington of Sequim painted a spotted feline face on her daughter, Lily, age 4.
“She wants to be a cheetah, so we’re trying it,” Melanie Arrington said.
More than 100 paintings were on display Sunday at the fine arts center and at The Landing Mall for a final public viewing of works created by local residents and professional artists “en plein air” after the painters fanned out across the North Olympic Peninsula to capture an outdoor scene in the Paint the Peninsula festival.
Sunday’s awards ceremony recognized the winners of several contests that took place during the week’s activities.
The Paint the Peninsula professional competition’s grand prize of $1,500 for Best of Show went to Robin Paul Weiss of Seattle for his painting “Airstream and Tractors.”
First place and $750 went to Jason Situ for “Afternoon Reflection”; second place and $500 to Ned Mueller of Renton for “Nash’s Gas”; and third place and $300 went to Eric Jacobsen for “Banks of the Sol Duc.”
A $250 Artists’ Choice award was won by Weiss.
Paintings by Susan Ogilvie, Steven Hill, and Jim McFarland each received an honorable mention.
Jim Lamb, Clement Kwan and Melanie Thompson were awarded special sponsor awards.
Sunday’s Quick Draw contest yielded additional winners for their ability to create a small painting within two hours.
The winner of first place and $300 was Yer Vue for “Little Red Boat”; second place and $200 went to Eric Jacobsen for “Good Morning Anne B”; and third place with a $100 prize was awarded to Jim Lamb for “Industrial Steam.”
Entrants in last week’s Paint Out, which was open to amateur artists, were awarded a total of $700 in cash awards to the top youth, teen and adult painter.
On Sunday, the winners were announced at the gallery.
Carol Carmichael was awarded $200 and the People’s Choice Award for her painting “Peace in the Valley.”
She was not present to receive her prize Sunday.
First prize and $100 was taken by “View from the Place” by Valle Nevaril of Port Angeles, second place and $75 went to “Moon over Manett” by Carol Bankhead and third place with $25 went to “Hollywood Beach,” by Lyn Smith of Sequim.
In the youth category, Port Angeles resident Laney Sukert, 14, won the People’s Choice Youth award and $200 for “Sunset over P.A.”
The youth first-place winner with $100 was Lina Hwang; second place and $75 went to Liberty Lauer, 10, of Port Angeles for “PA Beauty”; and third place and $25 was awarded to Cedar Rowan for “The Garden.”
Ashton Miller received a youth honorable mention and $10 for “The Ocean.”
One family found themselves appearing in the awards ceremony twice.
Valle Nevaril, first place adult category winner, is the grandmother of Laney Sukert, winner of the youth People’s Choice award.
There was a third family member entered, Sukert’s mother, but she didn’t get an award this time, Nevaril said.
Family members have won awards in several art contests, and Nevaril said her father was also an artist.
“It’s in the genes,” she said.
________
Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
