Event Details
2025 will be the 17th Adirondack Plein Air Festival sponsored by Saranac Lake ArtWorks, a not-for-profit arts organization. Come spend a week in the historic village of Saranac Lake, located in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains. The region offers serene beauty and mountain landscapes which so influenced the Hudson River school painters in the 19th century. The Adirondack Park contains the largest wilderness areas east of the Mississippi.
There are 5 days of outdoor painting and the following special activities: a Nocturne Contest, the “Paint the Town” Silent Auction, a Special Preview Party, a Quick Draw Competition, and a huge, well-attended Show & Sale on Aug 22-23. 40 Artists will be selected to participate, along with 10 alternates in case of cancellations.
Awards Juror & Workshop Presenter: Beth Bathe is an artist residing in Lancaster, PA. Primarily painting in oil en plein air since 2013, she participates in more than ten high profile competitions from Maine to Washington State a year. Her paintings have won numerous awards and honors including 1st place in the 2019 Adirondack Plein Air Festival and most recently Best Vehicle in the Plein Air Salon August 2022.
Beth works with Water Mixable Oil Colors in a limited tonalist palette, using both brushes and unconventional tools. Her representational paintings have been described by art critics as “evoking nostalgia, like that of an old sepia toned photograph, often with just touches of color.” She is highly influenced by American painter Andrew Wyeth.
Beth is represented by several galleries up and down the East Coast and in the Midwest. She teaches classes and leads workshops all over the country and at her studio, Short Dog Studio, where she shares her space with her photographer partner and two cardigan welsh corgis. She will conduct a plein air workshop in conjunction with this event on Aug 16-17.
http://www.bethbathe.com
Eligibility: Registration is through OnlineJuriedShows and is open to all plein air painters, 18 years and older worldwide.
NEW in 2025! In an effort to draw attention to and highlight the local arts community, our policy has always been to try and include local artists who apply. But at the same time, we are attracting many more highly skilled artists from all over the country and the numbers of local artists are also expanding. Modeled after the Plein Air Easton application process (the largest plein air event in the US) we are putting the following into effect:
All local artists are encouraged to apply and those who reside in the following New York counties: Franklin, St. Lawrence, Essex and Clinton will indicate that in the application (artists will be asked to enter their county before checking out). The Selection Committee will review the images submitted (including those of local artists) and choose the 2025 roster. The Committee will then be asked to review the images of unselected artists that reside in the above counties to choose 3 additional artists to participate. This gives local artists two chances to be juried into the Adirondack Plein Air Festival. Event organizers will not reveal which local artists were selected this way. It’s also compatible with our goal to have at least 1/4 of the artists each year be first-time participants.
Fees: Registration is $40 and must be accompanied by the submission of 3 images, all plein air paintings, cropped, no frames. Be sure to follow the OnlineJuriedShows requirements for images. Image files must be jpg, under 4 mb, and in sRGB colorspace. For best results, images should be at least 1920 pixels on the longest side @ 72 dpi.
For help with your submissions, contact onlinejuriedshows@gmail.com or 888-666-1351
Jurors: There will be 3 selection jurors (to be determined), all accomplished plein air artists, preferably using different media and from different parts of the country.
Sales: All sales will be handled by Saranac Lake ArtWorks. A 35% commission will be applied to all sales, with the exception of the “Paint the Town” Silent Auction. Participating artists will be asked to donate a small, unframed painting for the auction and may choose to receive 50% of the final high bid, or donate 100% of it. Artists who sell “off the easel” are requested to submit their 35% commission via cash or check to Saranac Lake ArtWorks. Checks for sales will be remitted within 2 weeks after the conclusion of the Show & Sale.
Workshop: Awards Juror Beth Bathe will present a 2-day plein air workshop on Aug 16-17 prior to the event. The cost will be $300, with a $50 deposit required. It is open to both artists accepted into the Festival as well as non-participants. Full details can be found at saranaclakeartworks.org
Lodging/Transportation: A list of area motels, B&B’s, and vacation rentals can be found on the ArtWorks website. There are several campgrounds (with painting opportunities) nearby. More information about lower-cost housing and/or lodging with host families will be made available to accepted artists at a later time.
Artists must provide their own transportation to and from Saranac Lake, NY. The Adirondack Regional Airport serves the area, as well as the Burlington, VT and Albany, NY airports, both around 2 hours away. Contact us if you have travel questions. info@saranaclakeartworks.org
Awards: Over $5000 in awards will be given out, in cash and merchandise.
Timeline of Events
• Feb 1: Registration opens
• Apr 15: Registration closes
• April 22: Notifications sent out that week
• May 22: Deadline to confirm participation
• Aug 18: Check-in and surface stamping 9am-5pm; painting may begin
• Aug 18: “Meet the Artists” Reception, 7- 9pm; nocturne painting encouraged
• Aug 19: “Paint the VIC” Day at the Paul Smith’s College VIC
• Aug 20: “Paint the Adirondacks” Day - artists choice, maps with suggested painting locations will be provided
• Aug 21: “Paint the Town” Day - artists paint in the historic Village of Saranac Lake and are requested to submit a small, unframed painting for the Silent Auction. There is also a festive “3rd Thursday ArtWalk: from 5-7:30pm on Main St - artists are encouraged to set up and paint as visitors stroll Main St. to see other displays of arts and crafts and live music.
• Aug 22: 3 Framed Paintings due, to be juried for prizes, between 9am-1pm, in the Town Hall Auditorium. The Saranac Lake Fish & Game Club will also be open starting at sunrise for artists to paint the Saranac River and mountain views. Jurying from 1-3pm. Additional framed work may be added to display walls starting at 5pm.
• Aug 22: Special Preview Party, 6-9pm; tickets are $25/person (no charge for artists and 1 guest); Awards at 7:30pm.
• Aug 23: Quick Draw Competition, downtown, 9-11am; paintings due at Town Hall at 11:30am
• Aug 23: Show & Sale, 11am-5pm, FREE admission. Lunch will be provided for artists.
Full event details will be provided to accepted artists well in advance of the event, will be on the Artworks website, and will also be in the packets of materials available at check-in.
Disclaimer/Legal: Upon acceptance, artists will be sent the agreement to participate and will need to sign and return it by May 22. By signing it artists give permission to Saranac Lake ArtWorks to use photos of you and your work for publicity and promotional purposes and accept the 35% commission on sales (not including the Silent Auction donation).
All event information will be posted on the Saranac Lake ArtWorks website:
https://saranaclakeartworks.org
Limited Opportunity
10 Artists who apply to the Adirondack Plein Air Festival and are not selected for participation, will be invited to attend and paint as a “Guest Artist” for the week. Guest Artists are invited to donate a small painting for the “Paint the Town” Silent Auction as well as participate in the Nocturne Contest Thursday evening. “Guest Artists”, as well as the participating artists, will receive free admission to the Friday evening’s “Special Preview Party” with food, beverages, and a presentation of Awards, however will not participate in the show and sale.
“Guest Artists” will be responsible for their own lodging, meals, and transportation, must notify Saranac Lake ArtWorks of their plans to participate (max 10), and will be under the same requirements as juried-in artists: any work sold “off the easel” should be reported and a 35% commission payment should be submitted to Saranac Lake ArtWorks by the close of the event.