LPAPA crowns winners of 'From Dusk to Dawn' show during First Thursday Art Walk

Laguna Plein Air Painters Assn. President Toni Kellenberg chats with guests during its annual Dusk to Dawn juried art show.

By Andrew TurnerStaff Writer

Aug. 5, 2023 1:50 PM PT

More than a century ago, creatives felt the call to record the natural beauty of Laguna Beach’s coastline and rolling hills.

Laguna Beach was an emerging art colony, rich in landscape artists, and it remains a stronghold for the arts.

Since its inception in 1996, the Laguna Plein Air Painters Assn. (LPAPA) has endeavored to preserve the tradition of painting outdoors. The nonprofit organization puts on a series of shows throughout the year.

“From Dusk to Dawn,” an annual juried art show of nocturnal subject matter, hung on the walls of the upper level at the LPAPA gallery space on Thursday evening. The winners of the contest, which fielded entries from a national membership, were announced on site and broadcast via livestream.

Michael Hill's "Flower Fields at Dusk" took first place in LPAPA's "From Dusk to Dawn" juried art show.

Toni Kellenberg, president of LPAPA, said the show began as a City Hall exhibition. Next month will mark two years since the group moved into its current location, allowing LPAPA to hang the finalists for the show in its gallery. Kellenberg added that City Hall will continue to display artwork from the show, specifically the pieces produced by the top-scoring semifinalists.

Three judges scored the entries, critiquing composition, palette, subject matter and execution. Pieces shown at the gallery featured scenes of city life, moonlit shimmering lakes, sunsets and light fading over fields.

Denise Busony, a Huntington Beach resident, claimed the third-place prize. Heading back home again to Indiana, Busony captured a number of pictures of the setting sun during a road trip, then put oil to canvas to create her painting, “Almost There.”

Guests observe the Laguna Plein Air Painters Assn.'s "From Dusk to Dawn" show.

“I love sunsets and clouds,” said Busony, who was also juried into the Art-A-Fair show this summer. “I grew up on a farm in Indiana, and so that’s what our family did. We sat outside in the summer every night and watched the sunset, so I’m always drawn to doing sunsets, and the clouds, especially. … My husband and I were driving. We drive to Indiana every now and then, instead of flying to go home, and when we were driving back this last time, Colorado always has the most beautiful clouds, so I’m like, ‘Click, click, click, click, click.’

“When I got home, I kind of did a mash-up, it was kind of an overview of the whole trip. It wasn’t any specific place. It was kind of an overview, that feeling of you’re almost there. It kind of encapsulated the whole trip back home.”

Michael Hill, of Escondido, submitted the first-place entry, “Flower Fields at Dusk.” David Marty, from Edmonds, Wash., claimed second with “Evening Serenity.” Honorable mention went to Linda Glover Gooch, of Mesa, Ariz., for “Evening Treasure.”

Artist Denise Busony, with her piece "Almost There," claimed third place in LPAPA's "From Dusk to Dawn" juried art show.

Mikyoung Osburn, of Los Angeles, earned the People’s Choice honor for “Sunset on the Hill.” She said in looking for a subject, she tends to shy away from the familiar that has been captured by the masses. The recognized work depicted a single house on a hill, which she said she saw while traveling through Sonoma.

“My painting is always trying to capture the moment of what I felt,” Osburn said. “That’s my real goal to paint, so if other people can see that feeling or emotional expression through my painting, then I’m so happy. That’s my motivation to paint another one, to get that moment to show to other people.”

Osburn was thrilled to be juried into the show and to be recognized for her work, expressing that it made her feel like she is on the right track.

Artist Meisha Grichuhin, left, joins guests in looking at entries.

“Being a nonprofit, a lot of our motivation is to put back into our community of artists by providing opportunity and our education programs,” Kellenberg said. “We are a member-based organization, and since we opened the gallery, our membership has grown because the artists will see the value, not only of supporting our nonprofit, but now there’s even greater opportunity for their work to be seen. We hang a new show every month, and so there’s an ongoing opportunity for the artists and members to have their work seen, whether it’s here or online.”

The awards reception for the “From Dusk to Dawn” show saw people pour into the gallery as part of the First Thursday Art Walk in Laguna Beach. More than 40 local galleries participate in the monthly events.

“I think it’s fabulous because I think it gives everybody, whether you be a local or a visitor, it gives you a reason to come out and go for an evening walk and enjoy mingling and socializing on your way to dinner,” Kellenberg said. “It’s just a nice social atmosphere, so I think it’s been a really good way for the community to connect.”

Artist Becky Ryan, with her piece "Sunset on the Rocks."

LPAPA crowns winners of ‘From Dusk to Dawn’ show during First Thursday Art Walk

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