Plein Air Competition Coming To Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Nearly two dozen established artists will be in Great Smoky Mountains National Park later this month to demonstrate their skills during the annual Plein Air Smokies event staged by Friends of the Smokies.

The artists will create one-of-a-kind paintings that capture the beauty of the Smokies and sell the artwork to raise money for the park.

The event is scheduled for September 21-28. The week begins with artists venturing to locations throughout the Smokies to paint scenic landscapes. The artwork will be available to purchase September 27-28 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Now in its third year, the previous two years of Plein Air Smokies raised more than $160,000 for the park.

Plein Air Smokies also gives local students from two area schools the chance to learn directly from professional artists. The students selected by their schools will spend a day in Great Smoky Mountains National Park creating their own pieces with instruction from plein air artists on techniques unique to outdoor painting.

“This event celebrates the longstanding tradition of artists capturing and sharing the beauty of the Smokies,” said Dana Soehn, president and CEO of Friends of the Smokies. “Artwork is an important way for people to make meaningful connections to this special place.”

The first opportunity to purchase the paintings will be at the Collectors Soiree on September 27 at Regas Square Events in downtown Knoxville. Tickets to the soiree fundraiser are $150 each and can be purchased now at the Plein Air Smokies website. Artwork remaining after the soiree will be available for the public to buy Saturday, September 28, at Regas Square Events.

The festivities continue throughout downtown Knoxville on the morning of Saturday, September 28, with a Quick Draw contest anyone can enter. Competing artists must register online and pay a $30 entry fee by September 20. The morning of September 28, artists will sign in at the Market Square stage and then have until 11 a.m. to paint the location of their choice in downtown Knoxville. Judges will review the artwork at 11:30 a.m. with prizes announced at noon. Art created during the Quick Draw will also be available to purchase. Full details on the Quick Draw rules, schedule, and how to register are at the Plein Air Smokies website.

A prestigious prize of the Quick Draw open competition is an invitation to be one of the Plein Air Smokies artists in 2025. Susan Waters of Georgia won the 2023 Quick Draw open competition and returns in 2024. She joins plein air artists Harsh Agrawal, Marc Anderson, Zufar Bikbov, John Caggiano, Henry Coe, Vlad Milan Duchev, Orville Giguiento, John Guernsey, Neal Hughes, Shelby Keefe, Chuck Marshall, Dylan McKnight, Charles Newman, Kathie Odom, Antwan Ramar, Jeremy Sams, Richard Sneary, Richie Vios, and Stewart White.

More information on this year’s artists, sponsors, and the full schedule of events are available at the Plein Air Smokies website.