Annual plein air
Page 4 • Wednesday, April 9, 2014 • The Hammonton Gazette
PLEIN AIR, from Page 1
positives of an event where the artists are
connecting with the public when they are
painting in the downtown area.
“That is an amazing thing. It kind of demystifies that whole how they can actually
create their work. I think we have been really
consistent. We are still attracting artists to
come back year after year, and we are also attracting new ones. We have people from
Delaware, we have people from North Jersey,
we have people from Cape May and many of
the new ones, it is their first time in Hammonton. They are really impressed that Hammonton had all of this to offer, not just the
museum, but the boutiques and the restaurants. It is about the arts, but it is also about
exposing people to Hammonton and the
downtown,” Cagno said.
The plein air competition has been a benefit for multiple reasons, and Cagno thinks
the increased art initiative in the town continues to be a plus for the downtown.
“For us, it is an artist event but it is also a
marketing event for the downtown. It is a
double-edged approach,” Cagno said.
Plein air artist Amy Iverson is from Medford. Iverson participated in her second plein
air event in the town, and was painting the
historic Hammonton Train Station. She is a
member of the Hammonton Arts Studio on
Vine Street.
“I paint everywhere. I just like being outside and I like painting from life. What attracts me to the outdoor scene is mainly the
shadows, the light and the shapes that they
form. Since I was painting here in
Hammonton I wanted to paint something that had Hammonton in it,”
Iverson said.
Linda Coulter, a Lacey Township
resident, participated in her first plein
air event in Hammonton last week,
and was making her first full-day trip
to the town. Coulter was camped out
at the Hammonton Lake, along the
Canoe Club area, and was painting
the fishermen and the surrounding
landscape on what proved to be a
nice early spring day.
Coulter does plein air painting, but
is also a teacher. She enjoys being
outside and interpreting how landscapes and buildings appear to her.
“As soon as we can get outside,
we get outside. We paint in the studio
all year long in the winter, and you
come outside and start doing this and
it is great,” Coulter said.
With Coulter’s first experience in
Hammonton, she described it as a
sweet little town.
“It is a great little town. It seems
that way. We can’t wait to go and
have something to eat later, and look
around [