North Carolina Plein Air Art Festival in historic New Bern
May 14-21, 2023
Mark your calendar and plan early
New Bern, North Carolina, on the banks of the Trent and Neuse Rivers – Courtesy Visit New Bern –
Photography by Allen Fairbanks
NEW BERN, NORTH CAROLINA – The 3rd Annual North Carolina Plein Air Art Festival in historic New Bern begins Sunday, May 14, and continues through Sunday, May 21. The eight-day Festival showcases 35 nationally and globally acclaimed plein air artists, including 15 newly juried painters, joining 20 award winners and top performers from 2022’s Festival.
“The term ‘plein air’ is French and means ‘open air’,” said Kippy Hammond, Festival organizer. “Plein air painting can be traced back to Impressionist artists such as Monet, Renoir, and Degas – painting outdoors and capturing fleeting moments of light, color, atmosphere, and the mood of a scene, rather than detailed representations.”
Painting venues include historic New Bern, the first state capital and second-oldest European-American town in North Carolina; Beaufort, the home of the North Carolina Maritime Museum; and Oriental, the sailing capital of North Carolina. In addition, artists will choose more sites and landscapes in Craven, Carteret, and Pamlico Counties.
2022 Best of Show by Martin Geiger, Staunton, Virginia.– NC Plein Air Art Festival in New Bern
According to Hammond, artists will create approximately 400 paintings featuring local scenes, subjects, and vistas, in a friendly competition to win the Best of Show Koffenberger Award, plus other prominent awards and recognition.
Festival attendees will have numerous opportunities to meet and talk with the artists, including using a real-time cell phone app showing the locations of featured painters each day. In addition, youth and adult amateur artists can meet with the pros and compete for ribbons and cash awards in the annual Quick Paint competition.
Festival headquarters, including demonstrations, workshops, art displays, and sales, will be based in historic New Bern’s Farmers Market, less than two blocks from Tryon Palace. In addition, pop-up exhibits and art sales will happen in Beaufort and Oriental, with location details, dates, and times on the NC Plein Air website. All activities are free except the workshops, Saturday’s awards celebration, and a modest fee for artists to enter the Quick Paint competition (no charge for spectators).
2022 First Place Winner, Deliece Blanchard, Winston-Salem, NC – NC Plein Air Art Festival in New Bern
Workshops include award-winning plein air artists Suzie Baker of Texas, past president of the Oil Painters of America, and James Richards of Georgia, regarded as one of the top oil painters in the nation. Both are renowned American Impressionist painters and in-demand instructors conducting workshops across the United States and Europe.
“Plein air is a popular form of art and recreational activity influenced by the rise in global tourism,” said Hammond. “Artists are interested in capturing the essence of a particular place and time and celebrating the world’s beauty. Plein air painters typically work in oils, watercolors, or pastels.”
Second Place Winner, John Eiseman, Maryland – NC Plein Air Art Festival in New Bern
Plein Air New Bern is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization expanding opportunities for individuals to Be a Part of Art in their communities. Artists commit a portion of all Festival art sales to support the mission of Plein Air New Bern.
Contact:
Kippy Hammond, Director
NC Plein Air Festival New Bern
P: 252-558-1689
Robert B Butler
Communications | PR
Permission granted for redistribution
#PleinAir #PleinAirFestival #NCPleinAir #NCPleinAirFestival #NewBern #Oriental #Beaufort #CravenCounty #PamlicoCounty #CarteretCounty #KippyHammond #RobertBButler #NCPressRelease #SuzieBaker #JamesRichards
Third Place Winner, Jacalyn Beam, Chester County, PA – NC Plein Air Art Festival in New Bern
Best of New Bern Winner, Jeff Markowski, b. Saskatchewan, Canada – Courtesy of NC Plein Air Art Festival in New Bern
Best of Oriental, Charles Cashwell, b. Columbia SC – NC Plein Air Art Festival in New Bern
Best of Beaufort, Katie Dobson Cundiff, Sarasota, FL – NC Plein Air Art Festival in New Bern
Art by James Richards – Courtesy of NC Plein Air Art Festival in New Bern
Art by John Eiseman, Maryland – NC Plein Air Art Festival in New Bern
Art by Suzie Baker– Courtesy of NC Plein Air Art Festival in New Bern
Art by Millie Gosch –– Courtesy of North Carolina Plein Air Art Festival New Bern
Art by Martin Geiger – – Courtesy of North Carolina Plein Air Art Festival New Bern
Courtesy of North Carolina Plein Air Art Festival New Bern
Courtesy of NC Plein Air Art Festival in New Bern
Art by Deliece Blanchard – Courtesy of NC Plein Air Art Festival in New Bern
Art by Haidee-Jo Summers – Courtesy of NC Plein Air Art Festival in New Bern
Courtesy of NC Plein Air Art Festival in New Bern
Art by Haidee-Jo Summers – Courtesy of NC Plein Air Art Festival in New Bern
Art by Jeff Markowsky – Courtesy of NC Plein Air Art Festival New Bern
Art by Jill Glassman – Courtesy of NC Plein Air Art Festival New Bern
Art by Jim Laurino – Courtesy of NC Plein Air Art Festival New Bern
Art by Jim Laurino – Courtesy of NC Plein Air Art Festival New Bern
Art by Jim Rehak – Courtesy of NC Plein Air Art Festival New Bern
Art by John Eiseman – Courtesy of NC Plein Air Art Festival New Bern
Art by Karen Lee Crenshaw – Courtesy of North Carolina Plein Air Art Festival New Bern
Art by Katie Dobson Cundiff – Courtesy of North Carolina Plein Air Art Festival New Bern
Art by Katie Dobson Cundiff – Courtesy of North Carolina Plein Air Art Festival New Bern
Art by Kim Hall – Courtesy of North Carolina Plein Air Art Festival New Bern
Art by Kim Hall – Courtesy of North Carolina Plein Air Art Festival New Bern
Art by Lynn Mehta – Courtesy of North Carolina Plein Air Art Festival New Bern
Art by Lynn Mehta – Courtesy of North Carolina Plein Air Art Festival New Bern
Art by Martin Geiger – Courtesy of North Carolina Plein Air Art Festival New Bern
Art by Millie Gosch – Courtesy of North Carolina Plein Air Art Festival New Bern
Art by Rose Kennedy – Courtesy of NC Plein Air Art Festival in New Bern
Art by Russell Jewell – Courtesy of NC Plein Air Art Festival in New Bern
Art by Shanna Kunz – Courtesy of NC Plein Air Art Festival in New Bern
Art by Thomas Bucci – Courtesy of North Carolina Plein Air Art Festival New Bern
Courtesy of North Carolina Plein Air Art Festival New Bern
Courtesy of North Carolina Plein Air Art Festival New Bern
Russell Jewell, Kiawah, SC — NC Plein Air Art Festival in New Bern
Courtesy of North Carolina Plein Air Art Festival New Bern
Courtesy of North Carolina Plein Air Art Festival New Bern
Courtesy of North Carolina Plein Air Art Festival New Bern
Courtesy of North Carolina Plein Air Art Festival New Bern
Courtesy of North Carolina Plein Air Art Festival New Bern
North Carolina Plein Air Art Festival New Bern – Courtesy of Bob Schrader
Courtesy of North Carolina Plein Air Art Festival New Bern
North Carolina Plein Air Art Festival New Bern – Courtesy of Jeff Sherman
North Carolina Plein Air Art Festival New Bern – Courtesy of Jeff Sherman
North Carolina Plein Air Art Festival New Bern – Courtesy of Jeff Sherman
Plein Air New Bern is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization expanding opportunities for individuals to Be a Part of Art in their communities. Artists commit a portion of all Festival art sales to support the mission of Plein Air New Bern.
Contact:
Kippy Hammond, Director
NC Plein Air Festival New Bern
P: 252-558-1689
Robert B Butler
Communications | PR
Permission granted for redistribution
#PleinAir #PleinAirFestival #NCPleinAir #NCPleinAirFestival #NewBern #Oriental #Beaufort #CravenCounty #PamlicoCounty #CarteretCounty #KippyHammond #RobertBButler #NCPressRelease #SuzieBaker #JamesRichards #VisitNewBern
