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Kay Elmore works on her painting Wednesday afternoon at Henry’s Estate Winery in Umpqua during the Umpqua Plein Air event.

Kay Elmore paints on the picturesque balcony of Henry’s Estate Winery in Umpqua during the Umpqua Plein Air event.

Kay Elmore looks towards her painting while it rests on an easel at Henry’s Estate Winery in Umpqua during the Umpqua Plein Air event.

Kay Elmore works on her painting Wednesday afternoon at Henry’s Estate Winery in Umpqua during the Umpqua Plein Air event.

Kay Elmore paints on the picturesque balcony of Henry’s Estate Winery in Umpqua during the Umpqua Plein Air event.

Kay Elmore looks towards her painting while it rests on an easel at Henry’s Estate Winery in Umpqua during the Umpqua Plein Air event.

Brushes, easels and paintbrushes — after spending so much time in art studios, it’s time for artists to get out in the Douglas County summer air.

The Umpqua Valley Arts Association is hosting the Umpqua Plein Air event this week — a competition for painters to flex their landscape abilities while showcasing the natural beauty of Douglas County.

The competition allows for artists to paint at any location in Douglas County, but suggests a myriad of beautiful locales located across the valley. During the week, contestants will flock to the vineyard, wineries, lavender fields and farms to complete their paintings.

Kay Elmore, one of the artists participating in the contest, set up her canvas and paints at Henry’s Estate Winery in Umpqua on Wednesday afternoon — her easel rests on a balcony overlooking the fields as a dog licks at her feet and a breeze blows by.

“The challenge,” Elmore said when asked why she loves to paint. “It is not easy. It takes a long time to have any semblance of proficiency — which I’m not claiming to have.”

Elmore lives in Portland and is a former graphic designer. She first started painting about 15 years ago, after she retired. She’s taken part in the event before — she loves that it gets her out to paint — but she normally isn’t the type to enter competitions.

“That’s just not my thing,” Elmore said. “I don’t know what possessed me to enter this one. But what the heck, give it a try. Mostly it’s just enjoyable to be out in the air. Wherever you set up the painting, it’s because it’s beautiful.”

The Plein Air Competition concludes with an awards ceremony on Saturday when the first, second and third place paintings will be announced. In addition, the paintings will be held in an exhibit at the Umpqua Valley Arts Association — hanging from Aug. 27 to Oct. 28, open for the community to observe the ways local artists see the local landscapes.

The sunlight was beginning to creep onto Kay Elmore’s painting Wednesday afternoon. She will return the next day to complete it — what will be her third day working on the painting.

“I don’t really think about it too much” she said when asked what she was trying to capture in the painting. “Just a sense of how lovely it is here. That’s the objective.”

Will Geschke is a Snowden Intern for The News-Review. He can be reached at wgeschke@nrtoday.com.

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