Check out these July 2026 plein air painting events, highlighting groups all over the United States. Bonus: Catch this month’s deadlines so you don’t miss out on upcoming opportunities.
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July 2026 Painting Events
California
21st ANNUAL FRANK BETTE PLEIN AIR PAINTOUT
Dates: July 27-August 1
Opening Reception: August 1
Sponsoring Organization: Frank Bette Center for the Arts
Venue: South Shore Center, Alameda, California
Format: Juried
Juror of Awards: Clark Mitchell
Award Total: $7,000
Contact: Margaret Fago, [email protected], 510.523.6957
Website: www.frankbettecenter.org
The Frank Bette Plein Air Paintout hosts up to 40 juried artists for a week of painting tree-lined streets; stately Victorian homes and shops; picturesque marinas; and historic naval ships and naval air station; as well as beaches, lagoons, parks, and San Francisco and Oakland skylines in this island city. The week includes a welcome reception, luncheon, and a quick draw and outdoor exhibit and sale of all the paintings on Saturday.
Colorado
COLORADO PEAK ART ADVENTURE PLEIN AIR EVENT & COMPETITION
Dates: July 22-August 2
Opening Reception: July 24
Entry Deadline: July 25
Sponsoring Organization: Pikes Peak Plein Air Event
Venue: Reserve Our Gallery, Woodland Park, Colorado
Format: Combination
Judge: Chuck Mardosz
Award Total: $10,000 in 2025
Contact: Gayle Gross, [email protected], 719.401.2301
Website: pikespeakpleinairpainters.com
Join us for this annual plein air event. Artists of all skill levels are welcome to paint in the beautiful Pikes Peak area. Destination paint-out options feature stunning suburban, wilderness, and forest landscapes, along with other special artist events & activities. The juried plein air competition option offers cash and prizes for Master, Professional, Advanced, and Emerging categories. The Quick Draw Contest is a crowd-pleaser at the Vino & Notes Event. Additionally, there will be gallery exhibitions showcasing all the winners. Awards ceremony August 2.
GEORGETOWN PLEIN AIR 2026
Dates: July 30-August 1
Opening Reception Date: August 1
Entry Deadline: July 17
Sponsoring Organization: Georgetown Trust for Conservation and Preservation, Inc.
Venue: Georgetown Old School, Georgetown, Colorado
Format: Open
Award Total: $1,000
Contact: Ruth Rosenfeld, [email protected], 303.569.0289
Website: www.georgetowntrust.org
Ninth annual plein air event in vintage, picturesque Georgetown, 45 miles west of Denver at 8,500-ft. elevation, in the National Landmark Historic District. A charming town of colorful Victorian buildings ringed by mountain views, Georgetown has long been a favorite of artists. Includes Quick Draw in historic downtown. Exhibit and sale through August 9. Open to qualified plein air artists. Late registration accepted. Join us for this painting event in the summer mountain air!
23rd ANNUAL TELLURIDE PLEIN AIR
Dates: June 29-July 5
Opening Reception Date: July 1
Sponsoring Organization: Sheridan Arts Foundation
Venue: Sheridan Opera House, Telluride, Colorado
Format: Juried
Award Total: $15,000 cash and prizes
Contact: Kylie Kirkpatrick, [email protected], 310.465.8888
Website: www.telluridepleinair.com
Each summer, over the Fourth of July weekend, the Sheridan Arts Foundation hosts 20-25 nationally renowned plein air artists in beautiful Telluride, Colorado. The Telluride Plein Air Festival allows locals and tourists alike to observe some of the nation’s top plein air artists at work. The festival culminates in a three-day sale, where the artists display the work they have created all week long.
Idaho
DRIGGS PLEIN AIR FESTIVAL
Dates: July 22-August 1
Opening Reception Date: July 26
Sponsoring Organization: Sun-Ray Enterprises
Venue: Driggs City Gallery and Plaza, Driggs, Idaho
Format: Juried
Jurors of Awards: John Lintott and Kathryn Stats
Award Total: $5,000
Contact: Lisa Simmons, [email protected], 216.235.7532
Website: www.downtowndriggs.org
Please join us for the 15th Annual Driggs Plein Air Festival, held on the west side of the Teton Range. Artists paint anywhere in Teton Valley, located in between Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Artists and collectors enjoy the extended show & sale, collector preview, artists’ workshops, opening reception and concert, quick draw competitions, paint-outs, competition awards ceremony, and closing reception.
PLEIN AIR COEUR D’ALENE
Dates: June 1-August 2
Contact: Jessica Bryant, [email protected]
Website: www.pleinaircda.com
Maine
PAINT FOR PRESERVATION
Dates: July 17-19
Sponsoring Organization: Cape Elizabeth Land Trust
Venue: Cape Elizabeth, Maine
Website: www.capelandtrust.org
31 artists have been selected by a jury to paint outdoors at designated public and private locations chosen to capture the beautiful landscapes and iconic images of Cape Elizabeth. The public is welcome to watch the artists at work across town from Friday to Sunday at Noon.
Maryland
PLEIN AIR EASTON
Dates: July 10-19
Sponsoring Organization: The Avalon Foundation
Website: pleinaireaston.com
The Plein Air Easton kick-off celebration and nocturne paint out take place July 10, with many more events to follow.
Montana
PLEIN AIR MONTANA 2026
Dates: July 19-25
Opening Reception Date: July 25
Sponsoring Organization and Venue: Bozeman Art Museum, Bozeman, Montana
Format: Combination
Contact: Linda Williams, [email protected], 406.570.1419
Website: www.bozemanartmuseum.org
Plein Air Montana 2026 includes a hybrid of returning and juried artists. With locations from downtown to the mountains just outside of Bozeman, artists have the opportunity to create remarkable work, which will be eligible for awards and sales. The artwork will remain on display and available for purchase throughout the month of August. Opening night will be July 25 after a morning Quick Draw paint-out. Enjoy social gatherings, buyers’ events, and workshops.
PAINT UNDER THE BIG SKY
Dates: June 19-July 5
Opening Reception Date: June 27
Sponsoring Organization: Big Sky Artists Collective
Venue: Big Sky Artists’ Studio & Gallery, Big Sky, Montana
Format: Open
Juror of Awards: David Orrin Smith
Contact: Maggie Shane, [email protected], 406.995.3596
Website: www.bigskyartistscollective.com
Join us for an unforgettable plein air experience as you step into the heart of America’s most magnificent landscapes — where rugged mountains, crystal-clear streams, and endless inspiration await. Spend your days capturing nature’s beauty on canvas and your evenings relaxing with fly fishing, golf, kayaking, hiking, biking, and more! Kids Plein Air Competition— a perfect way to spark young artists’ creativity. We offer an adventure where art and nature come alive together!
New Mexico
THE MOTHER ROAD PAINT OUT
Dates: May 15-October 3
Show Dates: September 4-October 3
Sponsoring Organization: Plein Air Painters New Mexico
Website: www.papnm.org
This is a non-juried plein air event open to artist members of Plein Air Painters of New Mexico (PAPNM) and the Amarillo Art Institute (AAI). Artists may paint plein air anywhere along the historic route 66 in Texas, New Mexico and/or Arizona during the Paint Out period.
New York
GLENS FALLS PLEIN AIR FESTIVAL
Dates: July 27-August 2
Sponsoring Organization: The Hyde Collection
Venue : Glens Falls, New York
Website: www.hydecollection.org
Set in the heart of “Hometown USA,” the festival will showcase the natural beauty, historic charm, and distinct character of the Glens Falls region—framed by the breathtaking landscapes of the Adirondack Mountains. Throughout the week, participating artists will paint en plein air, capturing Glens Falls’ scenic streets, parks, architecture, and surrounding vistas. Finished artwork created during the event will be displayed in a special weekend exhibition. The festival will include several public-facing events, including an opening reception on Friday, July 31, and a culminating Quick Draw competition held during The Hyde Collection’s Community Day on August 2, marking the final day of the festival and exhibition.
Utah
WASATCH PLEIN AIR PARADISE
Dates: June 20-July 4
Contact: Jerry Watterworth, [email protected]
Website: midwayartassociation.org
Washington
SKETCHER FEST
Dates: July 11-12
Venue: Edmonds Waterfront Center, Edmonds, Washington
Website: sketcherfest.com
With a focus on urban sketching, Sketcher Fest offers different types of events so participants can choose their own experience based on interest and time. It is a ticketed event that features a Sketchbook Fair, artist talks and workshops, an artists’ reception, and more.
Wisconsin
DOOR COUNTY PLEIN AIR FESTIVAL
Dates: July 19-25
Opening Reception Date: July 24
Sponsoring Organization and Venue: Peninsula School of Art & Gallery, Fish Creek, Wisconsin
Format: Invitational
Award Total: $13,000+
Contact: Jennifer Aldrich, [email protected], 920.868.3455
Website: www.penart.org
The Door County Plein Air Festival celebrates the outdoor painting tradition with 35 master plein air painters from across the country. They are invited to put brush to canvas, capturing the light over the diverse natural beauty in quaint harbor towns of the Door Peninsula. Listen and learn from artists as they paint on location, and take home a treasured original piece of fine art by the week’s end.
International
ART IN THE OPEN, IRELAND
Dates: July 26-August 3
Entry Deadline and Opening Reception Date: July 25
Sponsoring Organization: Art in the Open
Venue: Greenacres, Wexford, Ireland
Format: Open
Award Total: €4500
Contact: Alma Hynes, [email protected]
Website: www.artintheopen.org
Join us for the 19th annual Art in the Open painting festival, Ireland and Europe’s premier plein air event. Featuring seven days of painting, each day a different venue, challenging you to paint rural, coastal, and urban landscapes with castles, abbeys, fishing harbors, fields, and villages. A bus is available from our base in Wexford town and back daily. Optional workshops with world-class artists, talks and presentations, social activities, and a mammoth selling exhibition with awards — and of course our famous Irish welcome in Ireland’s sunny southeast.
July Deadlines for Artists
- July 15: Colorado Peak Art Adventure Plein Air Event & Competition (Woodland Park, CO)
- July 17: Georgetown Plein Air (Georgetown, CO)
- July 25: Art in the Open (Ireland)
- Next monthly deadline coming soon: The Salon Art Prize (formerly PleinAir Salon)
Coming Soon
GOUACHE LIVE
Date: August 20-21
Sponsoring Organization: PleinAir Magazine
Venue: Online
Contact: PleinAir Magazine, 561.655.8778 or 800.610.5771
Website: www.gouachelive.com
Unlock the essentials of gouache painting in a single, immersive experience. Spend the day with Eric Rhoads and a lineup of today’s top gouache masters. Learn how to sharpen your technique, build your confidence, and gain the control you need to create with gouache like never before.
2026 PLEINAIR MAGAZINE TRIP TO CHINA
Dates: November 6-22
Sponsoring Organization: PleinAir Magazine
Website: www.pleinairtrip.com/china
Join Eric Rhoads, PleinAir Magazine, and special guest artist Kevin Macpherson for an immersive 16-day plein air painting expedition through China’s most visually powerful landscapes — from the Great Wall to Guilin’s karst peaks, ancient river villages, and the urban contrasts of Shanghai.
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Content prepared for the web by Cherie Dawn Haas, Editor of Plein Air Today
