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Chicago Alliance
of Visual Artists
Announcing…
CAVA's Inaugural
Plein Air Painting Competition
CAVA is excited to announce a one-day plein air
competition in conjunction with The Natural World exhibition!
Saturday, Sept 13, 2025
Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 31st Street, Oak Brook, IL
Enter for the opportunity to be one of CAVA's
20 plein air artist competitors!
The public will watch as the artists set up their easels and paint or draw the pastoral scenery around Mayslake Peabody Estate, part of Illinois’ DuPage County Forest Preserve. Together, artists and spectators will be immersed in the creative process, enjoying the landscape and historic Mayslake Hall Tudor Revival-style mansion, and watching how artists interpret it.
Visitors to the event will be able to watch as the paintings come to life before their eyes, and have an opportunity to purchase a completed work at the end of the event!
Painting will start at 9:00 a.m., and end at 12:00 noon sharp. Artists will put down their brushes, frame their work, and bring it to the central check-in spot near the mansion’s art studio, to be judged for three awards:
Best in Show; Second Place; and Honorable Mention.
The event judge will review the work both during its creation and in final form. Artists must supply their own easels and painting materials, and will move their own easels from their chosen painting location to the main judging area to display the work. Finished paintings on display at the end of the event will be for sale to the public directly from the creating artists.
Friends, family, and the general public is also welcome to paint and draw for the day WITHOUT entering the competition for prizes—no need to be a CAVA member, no age restriction, no application needed. Artists who are not competing are kindly requested to defer to competing artists when choosing a location on the grounds to paint and draw.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
~~ Current CAVA members are eligible to apply for the competition. Nonmembers must join CAVA first on our website’s JOIN page, and then apply before the deadline.
~~ Only 20 artists will be accepted to compete, on a first-come, first served basis.
~~ Anyone is welcome to paint and draw for the day WITHOUT entering the competition for prizes—no need to be a CAVA member, no age restriction, no application needed, but we ask those not competing to allow competing artists to choose their preferred location before picking a spot.
AWARDS
Best in Show: Rosemary Brushes $100 certificate plus $100 cash (total value $200)
Second Place: Blick $50 certificate plus $50 cash (total value $100)
Honorable Mention: Blick $50 certificate (total value $50)
EVENT JUDGE
Kathleen Newman https://www.kathleennewman.com
~ Eminent Pastelist and Masters Circle Award Winner, International Association of Pastel Societies
~ Chicago Pastel Painters Master
~ Signature Status Member of the Pastel Society of America, the American Society of Marine Artists and the American Transparent Watercolor Society
~ Artist Member of the Palette & Chisel Academy, U.S. Coast Guard Artists Program, and Oil Painters of America
DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF EMAIL ENTRIES: Monday, July 14, 2025, 9:00 p.m. CST
HOW TO APPLY
1) Apply for Paint Mayslake by emailing events@weareCAVA.org. Include your name, contact phone and email, and attach 3 jpgs of your plein air work.
2) Pay the $30 entry fee of using using
the PayPal Button here.
3) Acceptance emails will be sent to the first 20 applications, and must be acknowledged within 48 hours of sending before the space is released to the next person on the list.
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