Holladay Plaza Fest, an open-air art celebration, welcomed 16 plein-air artists to Holladay Plaza for the Plein Air Holladay Quick Draw art competition. Artists scattered their field easels and pochade boxes filled with oils, watercolors, ink, and pastels across the plaza, preparing to capture on canvas charming storefronts, the grandeur of Mount Olympus, and a seasonal autumn harvest of pumpkins. Live music set the backdrop for the event while plaza visitors connected with artists and visited businesses to shop and participate in a business bingo game. An evening award ceremony at Relics Framemakers & Gallery wrapped up the week-long Plein Air Holladay events with the community gathering to purchase the art and to celebrate the awards presented.

Sponsored by the Holladay Arts Council and in partnership with Relics Framemakers & Gallery and the Holladay Business Advisory Board, 36 artists of all ability levels kicked off the Plein Air Holladay events with a weeklong painting challenge within Holladay City boundaries between Oct. 3 through 10 to capture the essence of what makes Holladay a great place to visit and to live. The Fox Market, a local business in Holladay owned by Holladay resident Cara Fox, provided bags of refreshments for the artists throughout the week, demonstrating the strong local business support for the arts in the community.

Plein Air Holladay is multifaceted in the support of local artists, musicians and businesses. During the week-long events, artists are given a platform to interact with the public and sell their art and music. Business owner Ben Morrison of Relics Framemakers & Gallery supports the event by hosting a plein air evening award ceremony and displaying the completed artwork throughout October, extending the events’ reach.

According to Holladay Arts and Culture Manager Megan Attermann, Holladay Economic Development & Housing Manager Ann Frances Garcia, who serves on the Holladay Business Advisory Board, collaborated to create, plan and implement a business bingo game. This game was designed to encourage foot traffic to the plaza and promote visits to plaza businesses. The winners of business bingo were rewarded with gift cards, further encouraging support for local businesses.

Acoustic guitar musician Nathan Spenser contributed to the inviting atmosphere at the plaza with an afternoon of soul-stirring lyrical blues and narrative country folk tunes. A Holladay native, Spenser was the last musician to perform at the Gepetto’s Holladay location before it closed in 2014. Gepetto's was a hangout for local high school students and known for its garlic cheesy bread, “the Ultimate” a huge pie with the “works” and live music. Many of Utah’s best performers' initial gigs were at Gepetto’s. Realtor by day and musician by night, Spenser’s soothing, bluesy voice can now be heard the first Wednesday night of every month at the Copper Common on Broadway in downtown Salt Lake City.

Professional watercolor artist Kate Sledkov, originally from Moscow, Russia, has enjoyed participating in Plein Air Holladay events for the last three years. She completed her first plein-air painting at a young age. She honed her artistic skills and earned a degree in art from the University of Moscow. When asked what success as an artist means, she said, “When I finish a painting, I can look at it and feel satisfied with the attempt.”

Plein Air Holladay participant Rebecca Jessee, a portrait painter based in Holladay, took on the challenge of the Quick Draw event by incorporating a portrait of her mother-in-law into her plein air scene. Jessee is completing a degree in art at Brigham Young University and recently signed on as an artist with Havenlight, an art platform that sells inspirational Christian art.

According to Attermann, the plein air art event judges were Marjorie Ann McClure, Camille Erickson and Patty Kimball. Cash awards were presented to winning entries in categories ranging from professional to artist’s choice.

Kai Julander received first-place recognition for her ink painting “The Plaza” in the student category. Keersten Jensen earned a first-place award in the amateur category for her oil painting “The Real Cows of Holladay.” Kate Christensen won first-place recognition for her pastel “Russian Sage” in the professional category. Andrey Sledkov, an accomplished Moscow Russian sculptor and the creator of many monuments, won first place in the Artist’s Choice award category for his watercolor “Home of Heros.”