More than 30 artists will produce paintings onsite for purchase at the Olmsted Plein Air Invitational on April 22 – 26 at Olmsted Linear Park. All six segments of the park along Ponce de Leon Avenue will become an outdoor studio for the first time at this historic event.
The paintings completed by nationally recognized artists will be evaluated by an expert panel of three awards judges. Each artist will be vying for their piece of the $10,000 purse plus the prestige of winning the Olmsted Plein Air Invitational.
The Invitational is free and all events in Olmsted Linear Park are open to the public. Complementary tours, lectures and demonstrations will be on going throughout the Invitational. School children are invited to attend, while design and university students will be able to study the works being created outdoors.
Each evening, tickets are available for purchase to mix and mingle with the artists, sponsors and patrons. Events include an Artist Welcome Reception and Dinner, an artist mingle, garden stroll and Awards and Collector’s Soirée and Pre-Sale at Druid Hills Golf Club where the paintings created during the Invitational will be first offered for sale
On Sunday, paintings will be on exhibit for public viewing and purchase. The ‘Paint Quick’ competition will also take place in the park on Sunday. The public is invited observe and to come paint in this fun event where they’ll be able to set up their easels and paint alongside the master plein air painters.
“Plein Air” is a French expression, which means “in the open air” and is particularly used to describe the act of painting outdoors. Plein air painting is a familiar concept today but was revolutionary when the Impressionists ventured out of their studios to capture the effects of sunlight in the late 1800s.
For more information and a complete schedule of events, visit www.OlmstedPleinAir.com.