Featuring 19 juried artists painting in outdoor settings, the festival will run from Oct. 9-13, with a pre-event exhibition beginning Sept. 16.
The Yavapai College Prescott Art Gallery and the Yavapai College Foundation are pleased to present “Art in the Pines: The 5th Annual Prescott Plein Air Festival.” From October 9-13, 2024, the festival will feature nineteen juried Arizona artists and one California artist painting in outdoor settings throughout Yavapai County, including the area’s beautiful pine forests and highland lakes amidst downtown Prescott’s historical and architectural beauty. At specific accessible demonstration sites, the public can observe and engage with the artists at no cost.
Featured artists include Carol Benally, Betty Carr, Cindy Carrillo, Tom Conner, Jonathan Gaetke, Lydia Gatzow, Terri Gay, Kathryn Gipson, Robert Goldman, Lindsay Green, Lance Gulseth, Cathy Krieger, Gretchen Lopez, Harold Nelson, Eric Neubert, Beth Okurowski, Linda Pullinsi, Kyle Rafferty, and Luke Watson.
“I love how educational the Prescott Plein Air event is, as it pertains to the history, process, and environment,” said Sedona-based artist Lydia Gatzow, returning to the festival this year after participating in 2023. “It brings you into the spirit of observation and appreciation.”
Gatzow added that her favorite aspect of painting in the Prescott area is “how vast and diverse the landscape is.”
“One can delight in an early morning vista, forest, or creek scene, and by sunset, you could be painting on the shore of Watson Lake, capturing the light on the granite dells or rendering the backlit meadows at the base of a granite mountain,” she said.
The Plein Air Festival’s pre-event will run from September 16 to October 9, with a special exhibition of works by festival judges and award-winning artists Bill Cramer and Dawn Sutherland. This exhibition will also feature a charity auction of signature paintings by each artist accepted into the festival. Sale proceeds from the auction will support scholarships, student art prizes at Yavapai College, and festival awards. Pre-event programming will include a complimentary opening reception on September 27 from 5 to 7 pm at Yavapai College Prescott Art Gallery at 1100 East Sheldon Street, Prescott, AZ 86301.
The festival will conclude with a ticketed public gala reception, art sale, and presentation of artist awards on Sunday, Oct. 13, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Yavapai College Prescott Art Gallery in the Jim and Linda Lee Performing Arts Center. The reception attendees can visit with the artists and purchase their paintings directly.