To paint ‘Plein Air at the Fair’ again this year was a transcendent experience.
I did my best to capture it all on canvas.
Iowa's Back Porch 2021. Acrylic on canvas, 18 in. x 24 in.
I painted the view from the SE corner of the Admin building on the Iowa State Fairgrounds on Saturday, August 14. It was idyllic.
Around 9:30 am, I set up my easel and got to work. Somewhere, a young woman sang The Star-Spangled Banner to start the day. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned toward the sound. The soloist held out “O’re the land of the freeeeeee…!” a bit too long, but her voice was angelic, and all was forgiven. A cheer rose up when she finished singing.
Then, the Des Moines Municipal Band performed on the Bill Riley stage nearby. During their rendition of Stars and Stripes Forever, I paused from my painting and considered the moment:
The Iowa State Fair is like an enormous time machine. I could easily have been standing in that very same spot 100 years earlier, and had the exact same experience—the music from the band, the delicious smells from the food vendors, the bright sunshine filtering through the trees. (Okay, so they they didn't have deep-fried Snicker's-on-a-stick in 1921, but you get the idea.)
Nearing completion of Iowa’s Back Porch. The sunlight had changed dramatically during the day.
Around midday, Bill Riley Jr. got up on the stage named after his father, and emceed The Bill Riley Talent Show, a traditional fair favorite that goes back at least 50 years. The singers and dancers were extraordinary. One young man, a 10 year-old from Waterloo, sang his opera solo with such verve, the audience began cheering for him DURING his performance. I had a prime seat for it all.
One of the reasons the Iowa State Fair is so beloved is because it takes us back to a simpler time. Generations of Iowans grew up at the fair, my family included. My grandparents and great-grandparents, all farmers, entered contests, walked through these same buildings, and enjoyed similar entertainments.
As a boy, my father loved the root beer served at the fair—a rare treat. And my mother was involved in 4H when she was a girl, and stayed overnight in the girls dorm, now the Cultural Center building, where my paintings are displayed this week.
Entry #9 is an oil painting by Larry Zach, an award-winning Iowa artist best known for his wildlife paintings. Number 10 is by yours truly.
Meeting people is one of my favorite aspects of this event. Throughout the day, folks would walk by and give me positive comments, or stop and talk awhile. When I asked one family where they were from, the father said, “A small town near Ft. Madison.” “Which town is that?”, I asked. “Denmark, Iowa,” he replied. I said, “I’m from the same small town—except I’m from Center Point.” He knew exactly what I meant.
Like many others, I missed the fair so much last year. Even though I won 2 first prizes for my paintings in 2020, the competition was virtual, and I felt just a little bit cheated. So I was grateful to be back at the fair in person this year.
At 5:00 pm, I cleaned my brushes, packed up my easel and made my way up the hill to the Cultural Center. I submitted my painting for the competition, where it will be on display for the rest of the fair. If you go to the fair, stop by the 3rd floor of the Cultural Center, and vote for your favorite. Perhaps you’ll like mine.