by Julie Dodd
Make your plans now to be part of Plein Air Smokies 2024, a special opportunity to watch artists capture the beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) and to purchase their paintings. The event will be held Sept. 21-28.
In its third year, Plein Air Smokies brings 20 acclaimed artists to spend a week in the park, painting iconic locations in the park, including Elkmont and Cades Cove.
Proceeds from the event, hosted by Friends of the Smokies, help fund GSMNP projects. In the first two years, Plein Air Smokies raised $160,000 for the park.
“Artists have long played an integral role in helping capture and share the uniqueness of the Smokies through their talents,” said Dana Sohen, FOTS president and CEO. “The Plein Air Smokies event allows us to support both the national park and the artists of today who continue this legacy.”
Schedule of Events
Here is the day-by-day schedule of the week’s events:
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 / SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22
The artists will be painting in various locations in the park.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
The artists will be painting in Cades Cove from sunrise to 3 p.m. You can drive the Cades Cove Loop Road and look for the artists set up with their easels.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
Artists will be painting in Elkmont, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
1st shift 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Harsh Argrawal, Charles Newman, Kathie Odom, Richard Sneary, Richie Vios
2nd shift 12 – 3 p.m.: Zufar Bikbov, Vlad Duchev, Neal Hughes, Antwan Ramar, Stewart White
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
Artists will be painting in Elkmont, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
1st shift 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Marc Anderson, John Guernsey, Shelby Keefe, Chuck Marshall, Jeremy Sams
2nd shift 12 – 3 p.m.: John Caggiano, Henry Coe, Orville Giguiento, Dylan McKnight, Susan Waters
“Plein air artists are fascinating to watch,” said Lauren Gass, FOTS philanthropy director and coordinator of Plein Air Smokies. “They take a completely blank canvas and in a matter of hours, a work of fine art is created. Even if you are not an artist, watching that painting come to life connects you in a special way to the artist and the place.”
Knoxville – site of special events
Knoxville will be the site for Plein Air Smokies events on Friday and Saturday – the Collectors Soiree, the Quick Draw competition and the public sale of the artists’ paintings. In the past two years, these events were held in Maryville.
“Knoxville has a deep connection with Great Smoky Mountains National Park as its leadership campaigned Washington in the mid-1920’s to make it a national park,” Gass said.
“Most recently, Knoxville has established an identity as the maker city. Building on that identity as well as a vibrant community of artists and collectors, it made sense to move Plein Air Smokies to Knoxville,” she said.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
Collectors Soiree & Sale: 6 – 8 p.m.
Regas Square Event Center, Knoxville
The Collectors Soiree & Sale is the first opportunity to buy the paintings created in the park. The evening will include hors d’oeuvres, beverages, and viewings of the artists’ paintings from the week. An awards presentation will recognize the artists who created the top paintings.
This year’s judge is Kathy Anderson, an accomplished artist who is a charter member of the Salmagundi Club, Master Signature member of Allied Artists, Signature Member of the National Arts Club, and member of Oil Painters of America. She has won multiple art competitions and has exhibited her work across the country.
Tickets for the Collectors Soiree & Sale must be purchased in advance and may be purchased online.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28
Quick Draw – 7 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Market Square, Knoxville
Saturday morning, nearly 100 artists will fan out across downtown Knoxville to capture iconic streetscapes and buildings.
The Quick Draw artists must have their canvases stamped before they begin painting, with stamping beginning at 7 a.m. Their paintings must be finished by 11 a.m.
The framed art will be judged at 11:30 a.m., with an awards presentation at 12 p.m. The winning artists will become an invited artist for Plein Air Smokies 2025.
Quick Draw paintings will be on sale immediately following the awards presentation, from 12 to 1 p.m.
Public Art Sale: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Regas Square Event Center – Knoxville
All remaining artwork from Plein Air in the Smokies 2024 will be sold at this free event open to the public.
“We live in one of the prettiest areas of the country and are so fortunate to have Great Smoky Mountains National Park in our backyard,” Gass said. “The opportunity to buy original art of our favorite subjects created by artists of this caliber is special.”
Plein Air Smokies also is helping nurture future plein air artists. As part of activities before the week’s events, thirty art students from Fulton High School in Knoxville and Gatlinburg-Pittman High School received plein air painting training, including a field trip to Elkmont to paint in plein air. Some of the students had never visited the national park before.
Check the Plein Air Smokies website for more information about the event’s activities.