Plein Air Smokies

2023 Plein Air Smokies Artists

For the 2023 event, artists were selected through a juror process. Over 100 artists across the country applied and 18 were selected to join last year’s Best in Show and Quick Draw winners, for a total of 20 participating artists.

As part of the week-long “Plein Air Smokies” event, Friends hosted Quick Draw Competition and Art Sale in Maryville, TN. This engaging art festival included an ‘en plein air’ (outdoor painting) competition, exhibition, and sale, welcoming registered artists aged 14 and above.

The event took place Saturday morning, September 30, with the Quick Draw Competition taking place from 9 to 11 a.m., followed by awards presented at 11:30 a.m. and the Art Sale from noon to 2 p.m. The Theater in the Park, located at 325 S Court St, Maryville, TN served as the hub for registration, the competition, and the art sale. Artists were encouraged to paint throughout Downtown Maryville.

Plein Air in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

National Parks provide an inspiring place for artists to paint ‘en plein air.’ Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP), located in Eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina, is “world-renowned for its diversity of plant and animal life, the beauty of its ancient mountains and the quality of its remnants of Southern Appalachian mountain culture.” It is America’s most-visited national park. Weather and light composition can change rapidly in Great Smoky Mountains National Park so painting outdoors will be a challenge for the artists. Join us for the adventure as these world-renowned Plein Air artists travel to our beloved park to capture the energy and soul of the Smokies!

Proceeds Benefit Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Proceeds from the event will help fund several projects and programs that support the park’s efforts to preserve the historic and natural resources of the Smokies while providing a safe, enjoyable experience to millions of annual visitors.

What is ‘Plein Air’ Painting?

Plein Air painting, in its strictest sense, is the practice of painting landscape pictures outdoors. The purpose is to create intense impression of the open air (French: “en plein air”) in a landscape painting.

En plein air painting was essential for the Impressionist Movement to take place. Impressionism is the painting of what the artist interprets as taking place at a certain place at a certain time. It is the changing of the shadows, the shimmering of the water and the movement of people. Impressionists start and finish their paintings outdoors to be able to depict what they would later be so famous for – capturing their impression of life.