Four plein air festivals planned for ADKS

SARANAC LAKE | Four plein air festivals are scheduled to take place in the Adirondacks this summer, in Keeseville, Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake and Malone. Visitors are encouraged to check the schedules and make plans to see the Adirondacks through the eyes of inspired painters from around the country. The following are scheduled for the northern Adirondacks in 2024 July 16-20: Keeseville Plein Air, as part of their Community Arts Festival Aug. 12-17: Adirondack Plein Air Festival, Saranac Lake Sept. 18-21: Salmon River Valley Plein Air Festival, Malone Oct. 1-6: Tupper Lake Plein Air Festival, Tupper Lake Plein air is a French term meaning "painting outdoors in the open air." Artists participating in these events move their studios from indoors to out, taking paints, canvases, easels, etc., with them to portray natural light and its effect on form and color as it changes through the day. Subject matter is virtually limitless, and includes wilderness, farmland, industrial or village locations. Some artists can finish several paintings in a day, resulting in a group show of hundreds of paintings — all uniquely Adirondack. The Adirondacks have attracted painters for centuries. In 2009, Sandra Hildreth, a Saranac Lake painter and one of the founding members of Saranac Lake ArtWorks, decided to organize a plein air festival for the Adirondack region. The Adirondack Plein Air Festival started out with just a few local artists who painted for two days and then hung their work in a show on a Sunday afternoon. Now, after 16 years, the event has a national reputation, a juried selection process, five days of painting, and more than $5,000 in prizes. The event ends with a huge show and sale in Harrietstown Town Hall in Saranac Lake. Spectators are welcome to the plein air festivals and can observe the painters as they work; most will have schedules or specific locations where they can be found. Festivals may also include secondary events, for instance meet the artists receptions, silent auctions of donated works, nocturne paintings (done at night), and quick draw competitions. Learn more at www.saranaclakeartworks.org.

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Four plein air festivals planned for ADKS

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