20th Spring City Plein Air competition draws 99 artists
SPRING CITY—Ninety-nine artists put brush to canvas during the 2026 Spring City Arts Plein Air Painting Competition, filling the organization’s gallery with scenes inspired by Spring City and the surrounding countryside.
The painting competition, which marked its 20th year, ran from Saturday Aug. 29 through Friday Sept. 4, according to Spring City Arts Secretary Chris Anderson.
“We had a wonderful time,” Anderson said following the competition. “The 99 artists produced some amazing work.”
Plein air painting involves working outdoors and painting the scene in front of the artist. The works shown by Spring City Arts in this year’s competition included rural roads, fields, farms, mountains, valley landscapes and flowers.
By the afternoon of Sept. 4, artists had turned in their work and judging was underway. “The paintings are in, and the judge is at work,” Anderson wrote that afternoon. “There are some beauties.”
Spring City Arts opened its gallery at 150 E. Center St. that evening for an art preview, reception and awards presentation. The organization also held an open house and exhibition from 7-9 p.m. the following day as part of the Spring City Arts Festival and Studio Tour.
When the judging was finished, Ken Spencer and Louisa Lorenz were named the competition’s two first-place winners. George Handrahan, who is originally from Weber County, received second place, and Allen Brockbank of Centerville took third.
Lorenz was not present when Spring City Arts photographed several of the winners, but organizers included her winning painting in the photographs.
Doyle Geddes, North Logan, received Best Watercolor, while Bowen Fletcher of Springville was named Best Emerging Artist. Chelsey Ritner of Logan received the Spring City Classics award.
Alfonso Zubeldia and Nora Zubeldia received youth awards.
Ten artists received honorable mentions. They were Kathy Peterson, Bryce Samuelson, Jeff Hepworth, Henry DeGroff, Kerri Hammond, Steven Heward, Natalie Shupe, Tim Padilla, Cortney Lunt and Eric Lono.
Anderson said narrowing the field to the award winners was difficult.
“The judge had a tough job to pick winners out of all the gorgeous work,” Anderson said.
Handrahan identified artist Kimball Geisler of Salt Lake City as the competition judge in a public comment following the awards.
“It was a wonderful event,” Handrahan wrote. He thanked Anderson and people who helped organize the competition and also thanked Geisler for judging the event.
Hammond, one of the honorable-mention recipients, also extended a thank-you. “It was a treat to get to paint there and be a part of some of the events this last week,” Hammond wrote.
The competition continued with the Spring City Arts Festival and Studio Tour on Sept. 5. Artist booths lined Main Street and Spring City Square during the festival, which ran from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
The festival featured paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, ceramics, jewelry, woodworking and other artwork. The Spring City Arts Gallery also hosted the Plein Air Art Show and Sale throughout the day.