Plein Air Easton 2024 Competition Prospectus
All applicants must:
• Provide contact information (please make sure your OnlineJuriedShows artist profile is filled out completely),
• Upload three (3) digital high-resolution jpeg images (not to exceed 4MB in size) of plein air work painted within the past two years and,
• Pay $50 registration fee
All applications must be submitted online by January 19, 2024, 11:59 pm PST. Any questions or concerns should be directed to Event Director, Marie Nuthall at 410-924-7279 or marie@avalonfoundation.org. For help with your entries, contact onlinejuriedshows@gmail.com or 888-666-1351
What is Plein Air Easton?
In its 20th year, Plein Air Easton is the largest and most prestigious outdoor painting competition in the United States. The festival is the work of the Avalon Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to foster a strong community on the Eastern Shore by creating accessible, uplifting arts, education, and cultural experiences that appeal to the interests of a diverse population and to ensure the long term viability of the historic Avalon Theatre. The event is supported by the Talbot County Arts Council, corporate donors, Friends of Plein Air Easton, and strong community support.
Plein Air Easton’s goal is to elevate the practice of plein air painting by continuing to innovate, create, and shape this event with safe, fun, and accessible programming for artists, collectors, and the community. While there are no guarantees that Plein Air Easton’s Events for 2024 will be executed exactly as presented in this prospectus, artists can be assured that Plein Air Easton will always prioritize safety for the artists, clear communications, proactively addressing artists’ concerns, and adapting events and parameters to work towards excellence whenever possible.
Artists are juried into the festival from hundreds of worldwide applicants. The final 58 selected are undoubtedly some of the best plein air painters of our time. Participation is entirely in-person and travel expenses to and from Easton, MD are the responsibility of the artist.
Why should I apply?
Plein Air Easton enjoys the highest art sales of any Plein Air event in the United States. It is a juried competition with a new juror and judge each year. Any artist who paints en plein air may apply. With only the top award winners receiving automatic entry into the competition, the festival tends to see 1/3 to 1/2 of its population as new artists each year. Plein Air Easton represents a meaningful opportunity for emerging artists to gain national recognition. PleinAir Magazine called PAE “one of the most rewarding outdoor Arts Festivals in the USA.” With a reputation for strong organization, growing sales, a beautiful landscape, and just plain fun; PAE has become a “must-paint” for many of the world’s top painters.
Advice from a Juror…A few notes about your submission
• Prepare your jpegs properly. They should be of the images only with no frames, and no backgrounds and the image should be straight and not blurry. Make sure you shoot them in the proper light. Maybe even view them on several devices before submitting them.
• Submit work that was done in plein air and is a recent representation of your work (within the last 2 years). Jurors can tell a plein air piece from a studio painting.
• Submit work that reflects the medium you will be using during the competition.
• Consider the subject matter of your 3 submitted paintings – three similar landscapes may tell the juror that you prefer a particular motif that doesn’t exist in our Maryland landscape.
I live locally what is different for me?
In our effort to elevate and highlight the local arts community, our policy is that if your primary residence is located in any of the counties on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, indicate so when you enter (Talbot, Kent, Queen Anne, Caroline, Dorchester, Wicomico, Somerset, and Worchester). You will be asked to list the county you reside in before you check out. After the juror selects the 2024 slate (based on the images submitted by all applicants, including those that live locally), he/she will be presented with the images submitted by artists presiding in the counties mentioned above, of which he/she will choose three additional artists to participate in the competition. This will give local artists two chances to be juried into PAE. PAE does not reveal which artists are juried into the festival through this local-only process.
What should I expect if I get in?
• A beautiful working and recreational waterfront community full of welcoming people who are so excited to host you
• An event that is well-organized and values its artists
• Fierce competition from top plein air artists
• Opportunities galore that stem from making meaningful connections with friends old and new, collectors, and business contacts
• The heat and humidity is a formidable aspect of this festival. Daily high temperatures can average around 84°F, rarely falling below 79°F or exceeding 95°F for July in Easton. The high humidity and UV index readings can exasperate the heat.
• Your competition artworks produced during this week will be exhibited in an accredited museum, The Academy Art Museum (106 South Street, Easton, MD).
• Non-competition artworks produced during the week will be exhibited in the PAE Headquarters (40 S Harrison Street, Easton, MD), this generous space provides additional opportunities for the public to view and purchase all work produced during the festival and to engage in lectures, demos, and other events.
• Plan to attend the Artists Orientation and have your canvases stamped on Thursday, July 11th
• Sales will be brisk and ongoing throughout the week. In 2024, sales exceeded $525K and connections made during the event are proving to yield sales weeks after PAE is over
• Above all - Have the time of your life!
How is Plein Air Easton Juried/Judged?
Pre-competition: Plein Air Easton names a new juror each year. This year’s juror becomes next year’s judge. The juror views three digital images from each artist online, therefore, it is important to give us files that will present well on a computer monitor. The juror sees no identifying information about the artists. After selection, the juror submits their anonymous selections to the Plein Air Easton’s executive team who announce the list of competing artists.
During the Competition: All competition paintings are eligible to win prizes that are awarded by the competition judge at the Collectors’ Preview Party. The 2024 judge will also select the winners of the Quick Draw Competition and Small Painting Sunday Submissions.
2024 Judge: Nancy Tankersley
Nancy Tankersley began her career as a portraitist but entered the gallery scene with figurative paintings of people at work and leisure. As she searches for the unpredictable, Tankersley moves between landscape, figures, and still life. Incorporating non-traditional tools, supports, and technologies for her paintings she remains faithful to her impressionistic style.
An Easton native and a founder of Plein Air Easton, Nancy travels worldwide participating in competitions, judging, and teaching. In 2018, 2019, and 2020 she was invited to be an instructor and demonstrator at the Plein Air Convention in Santa Fe and released two instructional videos with Lilliedahl Videos. In 2016 and 2017 she was invited to exhibit at the prestigious Masters Exhibition at the Salmagundi Club in NYC.
Awards
• Best of Show at Parrsboro, Nova Scotia International Plein Air 2018,
• Best of Show at the Lighthouse Plein Air Festival 2017,
• Dickinson Award for Best Painting by a Signature Member of the American Impressionist Society 2016 Annual Juried Exhibit,
• Featured Artist 49th Waterfowl Festival 2019
She is a Signature Member of the American Impressionist Society, the American Society for Marine Art, and the Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters and also holds memberships in the Washington Society for Landscape Painters and the Salmagundi Club. Founder and Director of the Easton Studio, an artist’s workshop facility launched in 2010, the artist mentors, teaches workshops, and sponsors workshops by nationally known painters.
2024 Juror: TBD
Competition Awards
Awards total over $30,000 and typically include 16-20 awards for competing painters. In addition to cash, the awards for Grand Prize, Artists Choice, Second Place, and Third Place also receive an automatic invitation to participate in next year’s competition. Additionally, the first prize in Quick Draw and the Quick Draw Alumni Award also received an invitation to participate as a competition artist the following year.
Important Dates:
January 19, 2024, 11:59pm PST – All applications for the 2024 competition year must be received.
February 2, 2024 - Plein Air Easton’s 2024 roster of selected artists will be posted online at www.pleinaireaston.com and ALL artists will be notified of the status of your application via message from www.OnlineJuriedShows.com. Please check your Online Juried Shows Account on this day.
July 10, 2024– Host Family Housing is available
July 11, 2024- Artist Orientation & Canvas Stamping
July 11-18, 2024 – Artists produce competition paintings
July 13, 2024 - Meet the Artists Party & Paint Out
July 18, 2024– HARD DEADLINE: Artists submit competition paintings (2 paintings) plus their Small Painting Sunday painting (1-6x8 painting) for judging, exhibition, and sales
July 18, 2024 – Collectors’ Preview (for Host and Benefactor level donors only and Competition Artists). This preview takes place in the Academy Art Museum & Waterfowl Festival Building.
July 19, 2024 – Collectors Party (for ticket-holders only)
July 20, 2024 – Quick Draw Competition
July 21, 2024– Small Painting Sunday and Judge’s Talk. Artists must collect all unsold paintings by 4 pm on July 21.
Additional Considerations
• Do you need host accommodations?
• Make every effort (especially if you are new to Easton) to attend the Artists’ Orientation on July 11th to get briefed on the comprehensive rules and to get your canvases stamped.
• Plan on attending the Meet the Artists Dinner and Paint Out, on July 13th, to meet collectors & donors as well as enjoy the rich landscape of the Eastern Shore.
• Take part in the various Plein Air Easton paint-outs and events throughout your stay.
• Participating in Quick Draw (July 20) where the top prize is an invitation to participate as a competition artist in the 2025 competition year.
• Attending any Zoom orientations and asking questions.
• Listening to the Plein Air Easton podcast (on YouTube or your favorite podcast app).
Once Accepted, Competition Artists Must Agree to (PLEASE READ):
• Comply with any local or organizational rules or policies around public health or safety.
• Paint within specified areas from July 11-18, 2024
• REQUIRED: Turn in TWO completed, framed, PAE competition date-stamped, framed, and ready-to-be-hung artworks painted within the specified geographic areas by no later than 11 am July 18, 2024.
• REQUIRED: Turn in one 6x8 or 8x6 completed, framed, PAE date stamped, and ready-to-be hung artwork painted within the specified geographic areas by no later than 11 am July 18, 2024.
• Work must be a two-dimensional medium.
• Ensuring the width of all submitted competition artwork does not exceed 44 inches including its frame. The height of the submitted work may not exceed 50 inches including its frame.
• All competition work must be completed en plein air (materially on site) without the assistance of photography.
• Pick up any work that is not sold on July 21, 2024, at 4 pm OR make shipping arrangements.
• Agree that from one week before the event and until one week after the competition:
o NOT to sell any work done during Plein Air Easton without paying a 40% commission to the hosting organization (Avalon Foundation, Inc.). The same commission applies to any work commissioned during or as a result of participation in Plein Air Easton,
o Hold inventory pricing for one week before and one week after the competition.
FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL RESULT IN A 40% FORFEITURE OF YOUR COMMISSION CHECK.
• Agree to price work with a retail price commensurate with one’s normal gallery pricing structure.
• Allow images of work entered into the competition to be used by the Avalon Foundation for publicity purposes.