Plein Air Writing Exhibition
Brings Gorge to Life with Words
Public reading and anthology launch party
September 14 at 7 p.m.
The 2008 Plein Air Writing Exhibition, sponsored by the Columbia Center for the Arts (CCA), presents the work of its participating writers at a public reading—which also celebrates the launch of its online anthology—on Sunday, September 14 at 7 p.m. A no-host reception follows the reading.
See the Anthology
Works from the five day "write out" effort have been compiled in an anthology that Columbia Center for the arts is pleased to host on this website. Click here to view the plein air anthology—Pears Like Golden Buddhas: 2008 Plein Air Anthology.
Twelve Writers Toured the Gorge
Twelve writers from the Gorge and Portland areas participated in this year's event, which visited five scenic spots over Labor Day weekend: The Gorge White House, Maryhill Museum, Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum, Sakura Ridge Bed & Breakfast, and downtown Hood River.
Works from these writers will be presented at the reading and also published in the first Plein Air online anthology.
The anthology is available after September 14, online at this website.
(Plein Air painting this page, by Charlene Rivers)
What Is "Plein Air?"
En plein air is a French term for painting in the out-of-doors with the goal of capturing a moment—the lighting, the clouds, the mood—as quickly as possible.
The idea for writers is essentially the same: capture a moment before it disappears. Of course, writers are not bound to re-create visual portraits of the landscape—the "moment" might involve other people in the area, sounds or conversations overheard, smells, sensations, or even inner thoughts. The goal is to capture a snippet of time as deftly and quickly as possible and paint a picture for others to "see."
For more information about "plein air" painting, visit http://www.p-a-p-a.com.
The Plein Air Writing Exhibition is part of the Pacific Northwest Plein Air Painting Competition and Writing Exhibition. The painting exhibit opens September 5 and runs through the end of the month in the CCA gallery.
12 Participating Writers
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For more information, please call Columbia Center for the Arts at 541.387.8877. We are open everyday from 11am-6pm through September. Winter hours resume October 1 (Wednesday - Sunday, 11 am - 5 pm).