After winning plein air award, Watertown artist to be featured in magazine

A Watertown artist's love of painting has earned her honors and a spot in an upcoming issue of PleinAir Magazine.

Doris Symens-Armstrong won the People's Choice Award for April in the 12th annual PleinAir Salon Art Competition.

Symens-Armstrong's painting "Twilight Time" was inspired by the beautiful natural backdrop at Lion's Park in Watertown, she said.

“Plein air is where we go outside and paint what we see,” Symens-Armstrong said. “It’s become a type of movement in the last 15 years, there has been a lot of it, but it’s been around for a long, long time.”

Since she was a child, Symens-Armstrong has had a love for art. Her talent was recognized at an early age when she entered a drawing competition and, she said, would have won the scholarship if she weren't so young.

Although there weren’t art teachers when she was in grade school, Symens-Armstrong had an opportunity to become one by the time she was an adult. She obtained a teaching degree in art education and, for three years, taught art to grade school children in George, Iowa.

The market for art teachers quickly became saturated with talent, so Symens-Armstrong decided to move to Pierre, where she painted and gave children private art lessons.

“I taught classes where people could bring something they were working on and I would help guide them,” she said.

But creating art is a personal experience, and Symens-Armstrong takes care not to have too much of an influence on other artists’ creative expression.

“I can help you get started, but I let the students make their own lesson plans. They tell me what they need help on,” she said.

From painting canvas to taco shells

For 26 years, Symens-Armstrong stepped away from her natural talent of painting to run three Taco John's restaurants in Mobridge, Winner and Chamberlain.

In 2005, Symens-Armstrong’s husband died and she decided it was time to leave the fast-food industry and move to Watertown to be closer to family. The freedom from the hustle and bustle of the fast food allowed her to start painting again.

“I had put my art off for too many years and just wanted to get back into it. I’ve wanted to do this all my life,” she said.

Despite being away from the easel for decades, her talents quickly shone through as Symens-Armstrong opened an art gallery in the Watertown Mall. She was a Northern Prairie Arts Council member for a few years and made several close connections within the city.

“There is such a good art group in Watertown. I have made so many friends in this town. It’s just been amazing,” she said.

Symens-Armstrong's home is an art gallery

Symens-Armstrong has since relocated the gallery and her studio into her home where she is more comfortable doing things at a slower pace and on an artist’s income.

“I started small and ended up going big. Now I’m back to doing small again,” she said.

Despite the small studio, Symens-Armstrong’s artwork has been recognized in a big way. One of her sculptures currently adorns downtown Watertown as part of the art walk, and she presents her work at art shows across the state.

Painting will be featured in PleinAir Magazine

Her recent plein air creation, along with those of other winners, will be featured in the August/September issue PleinAir Magazine.

“I was watching the presentation on my phone and heard them say my name. I was in shock. I’ve sent my paintings into them twice before, but when you see everyone’s art, you think you don’t have a chance at winning against them,” Symens-Armstrong said.

Symens-Armstrong, along with the other 22 winners, are now entered into the annual PleinAir Salon competition at the Plein Air Convention & Expo in May 2023 in Colorado. The winning artist will claim a $15,000 cash prize and have their painting featured on the cover of PleinAir Magazine.

To see Symens-Armstrong’s online art gallery, visit https://www.dorissymens-armstrongfineart.com/.

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Watertown artists wins plein air award, to be featured in art magazine