The fifth annual Olmsted Plein Air Invitational is proudly presented by the organizing committee from Saturday, April 28, through Sunday, May 5, 2019, in Atlanta, GA. Contemporary Impressionist paintings of Atlanta will be created and sold during a series of events throughout the week.
Carefully juried master plein air painters are invited to produce artworks “in the open air” portraying (and documenting) Atlanta. Master artists from across the United States and beyond were tapped by five selection jurors to compete for the Olmsted Best in Show and a generous purse.
This year the 28 highly recognized artists gather in the city of Atlanta with a return to the historic Frederick Law Olmsted Sr. six-segment Linear Park, documenting landscapes and cityscapes.
The original masterpieces created during the week will be judged by three prestigious awards jurors: Nancy Franke, Kelly Kane, and Robert Pillsbury, each an internationally recognized collector and painter. They will jointly bestow the Best in Show and many sponsored awards. Find out the winners by attending the Collectors and Awards Soirée and at the public art show, following.
All paintings will be sold “off the easel” at ticketed preview events, sold after judging at the Collectors and Artists Awards Soirée, and offered at a public art sale during the final days.
2019 Olmsted Plein Air Invitational Highlights:
• During the event, the public has the opportunity to observe outdoor painters create finished paintings before their eyes and purchase paintings that move them
• Approximately 20,000 people are anticipated to participate
• Artists Village 2019 programming includes artists’ demonstrations, workshops, exhibits, lectures, music, and more, and will be staged in the Olmsted Linear Park on Ponce de Leon Blvd.
• Tuesday, April 30, is Atlanta History Center Day, with Invited Master Artists painting on the grounds, and the public is invited to observe (with AHC admission).
• Free demos in public parks, painting events, and student scholarships for high school and college art students. Artists Welcome, Garden Stroll, Artists Mingle, and the Artists and Collectors Soirée (all ticketed events).
The Paint Quick on Sunday, May 5, from 9 to 11 a.m. is open to any artist, enthusiast, and high school or college art student with $25 and ambition. Invited artists and local enthusiasts will paint original works in Atlanta’s Olmsted Linear Park for exactly two hours. The event culminates in an immediate outdoor judging and exhibition, with sales immediately following. High school and college art students may apply for a scholarship, which includes a Paint Quick tuition waiver and a bounty of art materials provided by Binders Art Supplies. Practice Paint Quick takes place on Saturday, May 4, from 9 to 11 a.m.
2018 Olmsted Plein Air Invitational artists include recent winners of the Olmsted Plein Air Invitational, as well as six Georgia artists, and new-to-Olmsted esteemed winners of Laguna Beach Plein Air, Door County Plein Air, and Easton Plein Air, who are among the top 28 in the country. The public is invited to watch them paint all week.
The Olmsted Plein Air is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that is dedicated to nurturing visual and cultural art education and experience through the art of painting outdoors.
For details about invited artists and the schedule of events, please visit www.olmstedpleinair.com.
