The first Creve Coeur Plein Air Arts Festival left a great ‘impression’ on visitors

 (Enjoyed covering this event in person with a piece subsequently published in West Newsmagazine with my photos.)

The Creve Coeur Arts Committee was thrilled to host its initial Plein Air Art event with Impressionist era artist paintings starting July 6.  It culminated in a wonderful ceremony and reception on July 11 at the historic Tappmeyer Homestead in Millennium Park.

But that was not the only first for the event. 

This was the first art judging event for Julie Dunn-Morton, the curator of fine arts at the Mercantile Library. She was assigned to the role through her long-time association with current Creve Coeur Arts Committee president Robert Morrissey, who co-emceed the event with Mayor Robert Hoffman.

How fitting it was for Dunn-Morton to assume this role.  ‘Plein air’ signifies removing oneself from an office and creating in the great outdoors. From the outset, it was primarily related to the Impressionist era. After joining the Mercantile staff in 2002, Dunn-Morton continued her research into primarily 19^th century landscape paintings.

“The Mercantile Library has featured so many regional artists working on outdoor projects while Monet’s (Garden of) Giverny was in vogue,” said Dunn-Morton, who received her B.A. in Art History from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, then a M.A. and Ph.D. in the same field from the University of Delaware.

Yet another first at the event was Elizabeth Moreland Kern nabbing the top spot among paintings from 20 different artists. This was about the fifth such event for the Webster Groves resident, whose previous best finish was Honorable Mention.

This time, she nabbed the blue ribbon for Best in Show for her “In the Woods” painting in Malcolm Terrace Park.  The prize also included $750 winnings, provided by Stephanie Connell STL Homes, who has served for 22 years with Janet McAfee Realty.

“Being a true introvert, I definitely went very deep into the woods to honor Mother Nature. They told me that the park was at the end of a dead-end road.  I love trees, so I walked down a trail to a beautiful tree, waited for the tree to talk to me, then I started painting. It took me about three hours from start to finish.

“I’ve been painting since I was about 10. I’m 41 now, and still give private art lessons and sell my work. But when I saw all the high-quality work, I had no idea I could win.”

First runner-up was awarded to Gary Beazley with “Malcolm Terrace Park.” Its red ribbon came with a $500 prize donated by the Kodner Gallery. 

Honorable Mention with a white ribbon and $250 from Link Auction Galleries went to Katherine Martinez for “Stream Days.”   

Linda Kusmer was one of the most prominent members on hand from the Creve Coeur Arts Committee. The founder and long-time former owner of Total Interior Designs, Kusmer was glowing when speaking of the evening’s proceedings.

“This event was an answer to the question of how Creve Coeur can benefit from art and interact with the community. The idea was to make this an annual event and coordinate music (Jeremiah Johnson Band on this night) with the great visuals of art.”

Kusmer also gave accolades to fellow Committee member Nan Kulkarni, who brought this event idea into reality from her many years serving on the Town & Country staff.

The hundreds of visitors who toured the 140-year-old Tappmeyer Homestead to view the local artwork from 5-8:30 was proof enough that this first event will not be the last.