Plein Air Festival Kicks off in March

This March, members of the community will have the opportunity to join 35 award-winning artists, including Jeff Markowsky, Michele Byrne, and Carl Bretzke, as they compete for $15,000 in prizes and awards in The Lighthouse ArtCenter’s 6th Annual Plein Air Festival. The Festival takes place from March 9th to 17th, starting with a Kids’ Paint Out and culminating in a VIP Collectors’ Party and Battle of the Brushes contest.  

The Festival incorporates five days of outdoor painting in various locations throughout Palm Beach and Martin Counties, during which locals, visitors, and art collectors can watch and interact with these world-renowned national artists, view the art at the gallery or online through the ArtCenter’s website and have the opportunity to purchase these original wet paintings.

“Painting ‘en plein air’ is simply painting outdoors,” said Jennifer Chaparro, Director of Communications of the ArtCenter. “The wet paintings are created from what the artist is looking at, and the paintings resonate with people because it reminds them of their favorite spots. It’s a snapshot of our area and a visual record of the history of this region.”

To learn about the fascinating world of Plein Air painting, the ArtCenter will present “All About Plein Air” with J. Marshall Adams, Executive Director of the A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery in Fort Pierce on February 21 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. The festival will officially begin March 9th and run through March 17th, with plenty of opportunities to view and purchase the fresh paintings.

There will be a series of events and workshops and demonstrations by juried artists during the festival, including a Kids’ Paint Out Saturday, March 9rd at Constitution Park in Tequesta, a Quick Draw challenge on Sunday, March 10th at Flagler Park in Stuart, the five-day-long Festival Paint Out with juried artists, and an Artist Meet & Greet on Wednesday evening. The highlight of the festival will be the VIP Collectors Party and Sale on March 15th, where the paintings produced throughout the five days will be judged by renowned artist and grand prize winner of last year’s Festival, Jeff Markowsky.

“We are fortunate to have such talented artists painting here in Palm Beach and Martin Counties,” says Executive Director Nancy Politsch. “We are always excited to learn where these remarkable artists choose to paint in our area and how they interpret and create what we look at every day.”

The Gallery will be open free of charge to the public throughout the week of the Festival. The VIP Collectors’ Party on Friday, March 15th, is a ticketed event where the guests will get the first choice of the paintings that the artists have reserved for judging in the contest. Tickets are $125 to enter at 5 p.m., see the awards ceremony and have first crack at purchasing the award winning paintings. Tickets are $25 to attend after 6:30 p.m. The evening will include talking one-on-one with the artists and a wine and hors d’oeuvres reception with delicious food from local restaurants. The cost of the tickets can be used toward the purchase of a painting during the evening.

The Battle of the Brushes will take place on Saturday, March 16th from 1 – 3 p.m. at the Gallery. Three artists will go head to head painting the same image. It is captivating to watch the individual creative styles of the artists as they interpret the image onto canvas. The Gallery will be open Saturday and Sunday to view and purchase the full exhibition of plein air paintings.

The Festival has grown in the past five years into one of the premier gatherings in the country. Artists from around the country are excited to participate in the contest, with over 130 applying this past year for the 35 juried spots.

The 2018 artists were enthusiastic about their experience at the Festival last year:

“I feel very fortunate to be in the company of such incredibly talented artists. Thank you to all of you for making it such a great week. Thanks again to the Lighthouse ArtCenter for putting on such a well-organized and inspiring event.”

“Thank you everyone. Nobody runs a better event than you all.”

“I’ve participated in several plein air events and this was a great one!”

“It was an AMAZING event!!!”

And this year is sure to be the same!