The Largest Outdoor Painting Festival in the Midwest Arriving Soon
Over 30 celebrated artists will travel to Peninsula School of Art in Door County and carry on the tradition of outdoor painting.
DOOR COUNTY, WISCONSIN — Peninsula School of Art (PenArt) is hosting the 18th annual Door County Plein Air Festival, one of the largest outdoor painting events in the United States, from July 21-27, 2024.
Throughout the week, over 30 award-winning artists from around the country will gather on the peninsula to paint some of the area’s most interesting and inspiring vistas. More than 200 original paintings will be created on location from Sturgeon Bay to Gills Rock, and then made available for purchase through silent and live auctions at PenArt. During the Festival, there are many ways to connect and engage with the artists — from watching them paint an iconic scene to attending a lecture or purchasing an original work of art.
Artist Richie Vios painting in Door County. Photo credit Dennis Connolly.
Adam Erickson, Executive Director of PenArt, says, “The Door County Plein Air Festival is building on over 100 years of outdoor painting tradition in the area. This is truly one of Door County’s most beloved art festivals, and one of the most anticipated events of its kind in the United States.” The weeklong Festival offers an enormous variety of events to participate in, both free and ticketed. Some of the Festival’s fantastic events include:
Small Works Showcase
Sunday, July 21, 10am-5pm @ PenArt
Put your name in a hat to purchase one of the many small artworks by the 2024 festival artists.
Sunset Paint Out
Tuesday, July 23, 6pm-Dark @ Dörr Hotel
Select your drink of choice and head to the downtown waterfront to watch the artists paint at dusk.
Collector’s Preview
Friday, July 26, 5-8pm @ PenArt
An exclusive evening for Palette Pass holders with live music, drinks, award ceremony, and the first opportunity to purchase paintings made during the Festival.
Quick Paint
Saturday, July 27, 9-11am @ Downtown Fish Creek
Observe the invited artists as they create a painting from start to finish during the fast-paced event on the streets and shoreline of Fish Creek.
Quick Paint Live Auction
Saturday, July 27, 12:30-2pm @ PenArt
View all the works made during the morning Quick Paint and participate in a dynamic live auction.
Find your inspiration alongside the outdoor painting masters at the Door County Plein Air Festival!
For more information visit:
https://www.peninsulaschoolofart.org/doorcountypleinair
###
About Peninsula School of Art
Since 1965, Peninsula School of Art (PenArt) has been a leading innovator of creative experiences and arts education for participants of all ages and abilities in Door County, Wisconsin. Through dynamic workshops, classes, exhibitions, events, and artist residencies, PenArt celebrates and supports people at all stages of creative life while fostering a culture of belonging and inclusivity. Founded by Chicago artist and filmmaker Madeline Tourtelot, the School is located on a 10-acre campus and surrounded by stunning natural beauty. Annually around 10,000 art students, collectors, and enthusiasts travel to PenArt from around the County, State of Wisconsin, Midwest region, and broader United States. For more information, please visit https://penart.org.
About Plein Air Painting
At the end of the 18th Century, the art world of Europe was dominated by the representational salons and academies. Painting methods, materials, and subject matter were taught and practiced according to strictly defined formulas. But in the early 1800s, small groups of artist-innovators were beginning to push the boundaries of the painting medium and to explore the subjects of greatest social, political, and scientific relevance to their time.
Through advances in technology, artists started painting outdoors, or “en plein air”, as the French Barbizon school would call it. Fueled by the new science of optics, which had uncovered how the eye physically registers color, artists went to work outdoors to “capture” nature from direct experience. They also turned their subject matter to the study of light and the landscape itself, along with scenes from everyday life.
From this direct contrast to the art establishment, a new style of painting was born and plein air painting became foundational to the movement known as Impressionism. The practice of plein air painting also spread to North America beginning with the Hudson River School and has been a tradition in Door County for over 100 years — since the early 1920s.
