We’d like to congratulate Kyle Ma for winning Overall First Place in the October 2024 PleinAir Salon art competition, judged by Ned Mueller.
“Wow, this fine work of art covered everything that I think goes into making a great painting: concept, design, color and, in this case, atmosphere, as it is a landscape painting,” Ned said. “The idea of the arroyo leading our eye back into the middleground and background; the great drawing skills and arrangement and shapes of the rocks, dirt and bushes – their chroma and temperature so beautifully orchestrated and giving us the beauty of that violet mountain and little group of clouds. What is there not to like about this masterpiece!”
About Kyle Ma:
Kyle Ma (b. 2000) developed a love for art at an early age after being exposed to the works of the old masters through museums and art history books. Kyle says that painting allows him to express his viewpoint of our world. In 2010, Kyle moved with his family to Austin, Texas where he began to seriously study oil painting under Elizabeth Locke. Here, Kyle learned the importance of having a solid foundation in the fundamentals to be a successful representational artist. Kyle also took workshops around the country with master artists to further his art education.
Kyle holds a BS in Geology from the University of Texas at Austin but the success of his first solo show (Wilcox Gallery, 2016) encouraged him to choose to pursue art as a career. He enjoys painting en plein air since it allows him to be immersed in the landscape during the process of creating. Kyle believes it reinforces the idea of making careful observations and seeking to understand these observations, a skill Kyle feels is extremely important in art.
Kyle’s work has been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions around the country, and has received several awards including the gold medal in the 30th annual Oil Painters of America National Show. Additionally, Kyle is a Signature Member of Oil Painters of America, Plein Air Painters of America and member of Salmagundi Club. Kyle was also featured in Southwest Art Magazine, Art of the West Magazine, Fine Art Connoisseur, Western Art Collector Magazine, and American Art Collector Magazine. Kyle teaches workshops around the world and has presented at Plein Air Convention and Portrait Society of America’s conference. “Painting, to me, is an extremely passionate experience. I paint as much as I can, and hope that I can communicate with the viewer what I saw and how I felt each time that I pick up a brush.”
About the PleinAir Salon Art Competition:
In the spirit of the French Salon created by the Academie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, this annual online art competition, with 11 monthly cycles, leading to the annual Salon Grand Prize winners, is designed to stimulate artistic growth through competition. The PleinAir® Salon rewards artists with $50,000 in cash prizes and exposure of their work, with the winning painting featured on the cover of PleinAir® Magazine.
Winners in each monthly competition may receive recognition and exposure through PleinAir Magazine’s print magazine, e-newsletters, websites, and social media. Winners of each competition will also be entered into the annual competition. The Annual Awards will be presented live at the next Plein Air Convention & Expo.
The next round of the PleinAir Salon art competition has begun so hurry, as this competition ends on the last day of the month. Enter your best art in the PleinAir Salon here.
View more artist and collector profiles here at FineArtConnoisseur.com.
