Plein air painting workshops - OutdoorPainter.com
A fun shot of artists painting en plein air during the 2019 Publisher's Invitational with Eric Rhoads in the Adirondacks.

Summer is in full swing, and so are these in-person and virtual plein air painting opportunities. Check out these upcoming events from our Artists’ and Collectors’ Ultimate Guide to Painting Events and Organizations.

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July 2021 Plein Air Painting Events

California

EXHIBITION: Art from the Trail: Exploring the Natural Beauty of Santa Barbara County
Dates: Saturdays through October 3, 2021
Sponsoring Organization: San Luis Obispo Painters for the Environment (SLOPE)
Venue: Wildling Museum of Art & Nature
Website: Wildingmuseum.org
Eleven paintings from SLOPE members have been juried into The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature’s exhibition, “Art from the Trail: Exploring the Natural Beauty of Santa Barbara County.” This show celebrates outdoor treasures on the Central Coast. A key goal of the exhibition, in partnership with Healthy People Healthy Trails and the Santa Barbara County Trails Council, is to raise awareness of the wealth of trails in Santa Barbara County and to inspire visitors and community members to explore them, while encouraging a healthier lifestyle.

Colorado

Telluride Plein Air
Dates: June 28–July 5, 2021
Sponsoring Organization: Sheridan Arts Foundation
Venue: Historic Sheridan Opera House
Format: Juried
Award Total: $10,000
Contact: Ronatta Palamar
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 970.728.6363
Website: www.telluridepleinair.com
Each summer over the 4th of July, the Sheridan Arts Foundation brings 25 nationally renowned plein air artists to paint the beautiful scenery of Telluride, Colorado. Telluride Plein Air Festival has become an indispensable part of Telluride’s Independence Day festivities, allowing locals, collectors, and tourists alike to observe some of the nation’s top plein air artists at work. The festival concludes in a three-day sale where the artists display the work they have created on site in Telluride all week long. This is a benefit for the 107-year-old historic Sheridan Opera House.

Georgetown Plein Air 2021
Dates: July 30–31, 2021
Opening Reception: July 31, 2021
Entry Deadline: July 16, 2021
Sponsoring Organization: Georgetown Trust for Conservation and Preservation, Inc.
Venue: Georgetown Heritage Center
Format: Open
Award Total: $900
Contact: Ruth Rosenfeld
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 303.569.0289
Website: www.georgetownheritagecenter.org
Fourth annual Plein Air event in vintage, picturesque Georgetown, Colorado, 45 minutes west of Denver at 8,500 ft. elevation, part of the Georgetown-Silver Plume 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 Sunday, August 15. Registration and exhibit at Georgetown Heritage Center, restored 1874 schoolhouse, 809 Taos Street. Join us for this painting event in the summer mountain air! Open to qualified plein air artists. Late registrations accepted.

Idaho

Driggs Plein Air Art Festival
Dates: July 21–31, 2021
Opening Reception: July 25, 2021
Sponsoring Organization: Downtown Driggs Association
Venue: Driggs City Gallery
Format: Open
Juror of Awards: Patrick Saunders, Christine Lashley
Award Total: $3,200
Contact: Alison Brush
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 307.690.2234
Website: www.driggspleinair.org
Please join us for the 10th Annual Driggs Plein Air Art Festival, held on the west side of the Tetons in beautiful Driggs, Idaho. Pre-event plein air workshops by Christine Lashley and Patrick Saunders. Open to all levels of experience. Artists have plenty of time to paint and participate in the paint-outs and quick draws. Check in July 21–24. Artists and collectors enjoy many activities including the multi-week-long Exhibition & Sale, Opening Reception, Paint-Outs, Quick Draw Competitions, Workshops, Demonstrations, Competition Award Ceremony, and the Closing Reception.

Maryland

Plein Air Easton
Dates: July 11–18, 2021
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.pleinaireaston.com

Massachusetts

Plein Air in the Berkshires
Dates: June 1–September 30, 2021
Opening Reception: July 1, 2021
Entry Deadline: September 28, 2021
Sponsoring Organization: Guild of Berkshire Artists
Venue: The Mount, Hancock Shaker Village, Norman Rockwell Museum, and the Berkshire Botanical Garden
City: Lenox, MA
Format: Combination
Contact: Karen Carmean
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 617.868.7082
Website: www.berkshireartists.org/creating-art-outdoors
Create art outdoors in the Berkshires of Western Mass. Every day of the week from 9:30 a.m.–1 p.m., weather permitting, June–September. Meet at a beautiful Berkshire location such as The Mount, Hancock Shaker Village, Norman Rockwell Museum, and the Berkshire Botanical Garden. Work until noon, then positive critique over lunch (bring or buy). Oil, acrylic, photography, watercolors, pastel, drawing, digital painting are encouraged. Bring your own supplies. Open to all levels. Come for a day, a week, or more. We encourage you to join your favorite venue at the NARM level. Stay safe and leave the area pristine.

Michigan

Maybury State Park Juried Plein Air Exhibition
Dates: July 31-August 21
City: Northville
Website: https://northvillearthouse.org/
The Northville Art House, in partnership with Maybury State Park and the Friends of Maybury State Park, invites artists to paint, draw, and sketch in the open air the natural beauty of the Maybury State Park. Artists, 18 and over, submit digital images of 3 previous plein-air artworks created in the past three years. From these submissions the juror will select artists to create an unlimited amount of work in the Maybury State Park (MSP) Paint-Out (July 23 – 25) with up to 3 of the works from the Paint-Out, selected by the artists, to be included the exhibition (July 31 – August 21). $1000 in awards with cash prizes for 1st – 4th Place: $300, $200, $100, and $50; Honorable Mentions Awards. Also The Friends of Maybury State Park Purchase Prize Award. The Northville Art House, a nonprofit 501(c)3 art facility in historic downtown Northville, MI, has cultivated the Arts through creative experiences and educational programs in the Metro Detroit community since 2005.

New Mexico

Plein Air Painters 2021 Events
Dates: January 1–December 31, 2021
Sponsoring Organization: Plein Air Painters of New Mexico
Venue: Event venues will vary
City: Santa Fe, NM
Format: Combination
Contact: Elizabeth Cooper
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 720.933.4022
Website: www.papnm.org

Utah

Wasatch Plein Air Paradise
Dates: June 25–July 5, 2021
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.midwayartassociation.org

Washington

Pacific Northwest Plein Air in the Columbia River Gorge
Dates: July 26–August 1, 2021
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.pleinairhoodriver.blogspot.com

Wisconsin

Door County Plein Air Festival
Dates: July 25–31, 2021
Opening Reception: July 30, 2021
Sponsoring Organization: Peninsula School of Art
Venue: Peninsula School of Art
City: Fish Creek, WI
Format: Invitational
Award Total: $18,000
Contact: Chrystal Chesnik
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 920.868.3455
Website: www.peninsulaschoolofart.org/events/dcpaf
The Door County Plein Air Festival is presented by the Peninsula School of Art. The week-long event features 40 invited plein air masters from throughout the U.S. and points beyond, and takes place among the diverse natural beauty and quaint harbor towns of the Door Peninsula. Listen and learn from daily artist demonstrations. Tour local partner galleries as artists paint on site. View and purchase fresh paintings at our Collector’s Preview Gala Auction. Even children can try painting en plein air during our Kid’s Paint. Exhibition and sale through July 31, 2021.

Canada: Nova Scotia

Paint Peggy’s Cove
Dates: July 10–12, 2021
Sponsoring Organization: Peggy’s Cove Area Festival of the Arts
Venue: Coastal Village of Peggy’s Cove
City: Halifax, NS
Format: Open
Contact: Patricia Lindley
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: +1 902.823.2530
Website: www.peggyscoveareafestivalofthearts.com
Paint Peggy’s Cove provides an opportunity for 42 artists to paint the beautiful maritime scenery surrounding this iconic fishing village, known for its towering lighthouse. Supported by volunteers, artists display their work for sale in a large Mongolian Yurt erected in the heart of the village. Over 2,000 tourists and local residents visit the Yurt and adjacent Children’s Art tent during the event. A limited number of artists can register to display and sell previously completed artworks in addition to their plein air work, on a first come, first served basis.

Online

Coming in August: Pastel Live
August 19-21, 2021, with a Beginner’s Day on August 18
Sponsoring Organization: Plein Air Today / Streamline Publishing
Website: PastelLive.com
To have 30 of today’s best artists show you exactly what they do to succeed will make Pastel Live THE most important 3 days you’ll ever invest in yourself and in your art. These artists will help you drastically improve your skills by demonstrating the methods and techniques that have taken them YEARS to master. There will be critiques, question and answer sessions, roundtable discussions, and group painting! Even if you’re not a pastel artist, this event will open your mind and expose you to even MORE techniques that could greatly improve your art.

Pastel Live banner

Also check out the 2021 Artists’ Guide to Workshops, Schools, and Ateliers for even more opportunities.


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