Artists and art aficionados are invited to experience the 8th Annual St. Augustine Plein Air Paint Out, hosted by the St. Augustine Art Association. This five-day event features an array of locations in the Nation’s Oldest City. The Plein Air Paint Out begins April 24 and continues through April 28. The event's last day also features a pop-up exhibit at the St. Augustine Yacht Club.
Painting en plein air is a part of St. Augustine’s rich art history. The activity, generally attributed to the Romantic landscape painter John Constable, became fundamental to French Impressionism around the year 1860. Florida railroad magnate and Standard Oil co-founder Henry Flagler introduced plein air to St. Augustine by bringing in artists from across the country.
Artists Eric and Nikki Rakov enjoy the allure of plein air painting in St. Augustine.
“The event gives us the unique opportunity to create art in an environment that has rich history and visual treasures,” they said in a prepared statement. “As we are putting paint on canvas, artists are also absorbing all the sights, sounds, smells and tactile sensations happening in all parts of the Ancient City. We like to think that manifests itself somehow into the work.”
Artists can select from a host of locations, including quaint streets like Aviles and Charlotte, historic landmarks like the Castillo de San Marcos and the Peña-Peck House, and coastal beaches on Anastasia Island.
During the St. Augustine Plein Air Paint Out, works-in-progress and finished paintings can be stored, viewed and purchased online and in-gallery at the Plein Air Wet Room. Artists may select one work for display at the Plein Air Pop-Up Exhibit at the St. Augustine Yacht Club on April 28. Submissions will be judged in-person for awards, with Best in Show winning $1,000.
Artists must be 18 years or older to join the St. Augustine Plein Art Paint Out. Registration is $55 for association members and $80 for nonmembers. For more event information or to register, go to staaa.org/plein-air-paint-out.
The Plein Art Paint Out is partially-funded by grants from the St. Johns Cultural Council, St. Johns County Tourist Development Council, and Community Foundation for Northeast Florida.
