A new challenge will take place at this year’s Dominion Riverrock that promises to add a splash of color to the festivities:  Riverrock’s first-ever ‘RVA Plein Air Paint Off,’ set for Saturday, May 20. During the contest, 10 popular Richmond artists will have four hours to create a work of art that will be judged and showcased before being made available for sale on Sunday, May 21. Dominion Riverrock is partnering with Glave Kocen Gallery and renowned local artist Matt Lively to put on the event.

While the challenge is taking place, the artists will be scattered all over the festival grounds, creating plenty of viewing opportunities to see the competitors at work as their paintings come to life. Artists scheduled to compete include Ed Trask, Matt Lively, Hamilton Glass, Greig Leach, Andras Bality, Amy Smith, Nico Cathcart, Linda Hollett-Bazouzi, Vincente Gonzalez, and Mickael Broth.

“To share even a sample of our robust art community with patrons of Dominion Riverrock who may not be familiar with these artists and Richmond’s thriving art scene will be very rewarding,” said BJ Kocen of Glave Kocen Gallery. “I also really hope that after seeing this competition, people will be inspired to get outside and paint! I think the artists will get caught up in the challenge and will really pull out all the stops to be Richmond’s first Paint-Off Champion.”

A canvas size of 30″x40″ for all competitors will create an additional challenge for the artists during the time window, as most plein air painters work on a much smaller scale. With diverse styles and processes, the paint-off promises to be thrilling, inspirational, and educational all at the same time and will present a unique challenge to participating artists.

“An outdoor studio is a physically demanding scientific field study where something wonderful gets made from nothing,” said Matt Lively. “It will be very exciting for the participating artists in the first RVA Plein Air Paint-Off! It is an honor to be a part of this, and I feel like I have been training for it for years.”

The RVA Plein Air Paint Off will take place from noon to 4 p.m. on May 20, with the sale time on the following day still to be announced. Dominion Riverrock is set for May 19-21, 2017 and is open to the public and free to all spectators. Click here for more information.