Art in the Pines
4th Annual Prescott Plein Air Festival
From August 24-27, 2023, 16 juried professional plein air artists hailing from Southern, Central and Northern Arizona will paint from Prescott’s beautiful forests, lakesides, and downtown historical and architectural beauty, as Yavapai College Prescott Art Gallery and the Highlands Center for Natural History present “Art in the Pines: The 4th Annual Prescott Plein Air Festival.”
Featured artists include Carol Benally, Betty Carr, Cindy Carrillo, Tom Conner, Priya Drews, Lydia Gatzow, Terri Gay, Russell Johnson, Cathy Krieger, Gretchen Lopez, Beth Okurowski, Ken Ottinger, Dorothy Ray, Eric Slayton, Dawn Sutherland, and Johnny Tanner.
Art in the Pines Pre-Exhibit and Auction: August 10 - 20, 2023
Art in the Pines Pre-Exhibit Opening Reception: August 12, 2023, 5PM - 7PM
Plein Air Festival Runs: August 24 - 27, 2023
Gala Reception & Sale: August 27, 2023, 1:30PM - 4:30PM
Referencing the French expression for “in the open air,” plein air art festivals involve artists who paint in outdoor settings and strive to capture the spirit and essence of a landscape or subject by incorporating natural light, color, and movement into their work. The artists may be found painting throughout Yavapai County, but the public is invited to observe and engage with them at no cost as they create their art at specific accessible demonstration sites.
The Plein Air Festival’s pre-events will start Aug. 10 with an exhibition and sale of the artists’ studio work at Yavapai College Prescott Art Gallery. The pre-event exhibition will run from Aug. 10-Aug. 20, with an opening reception on Saturday, Aug. 12, 5-7 p.m. in the gallery. The pre-event exhibition will also feature an online auction of paintings donated by each of the participating artists. The auction will begin on Aug. 10 through the website 32auctions.com and conclude on Aug. 20, with the proceeds from the auction going toward funding scholarships and art prizes for Yavapai College visual art students.
The Festival will conclude on Sunday, Aug. 27 with a public reception and art sale at Yavapai College’s Jim and Linda Lee Performing Arts Center and the Yavapai College Prescott Art Gallery from 1:30-4:30 p.m. The reception will be catered by El Gato Azul, a local restaurant, and will feature a cash bar, as well as the opportunity to visit with the artists and purchase one-of-a-kind paintings directly from the artists.
Art in the Pines 4th Annual Prescott Plein Air Festival
Art in the Pines Artists’ Pre-Exhibition
Previous Work From Featured Artists
Carol Benally “High Country Vista”
Betty Carr “Courtyard of Colors”
Cindy Carrillo “Untitled”
Tom Conner “Basin Range”
Priya Drews “Persistence”
Lydia Gatzow “Untitled”
Terri Gay “Wagon”
Russell Johnson “Sunrise at Boucher”
Cathy Krieger “Invitation”
Gretchen Lopez “Shangri-La”
Beth Okurowski “Red Rocks Sunshine”
Ken Ottinger “Untitled”
Dorothy Ray “Untitled”
Dawn Sutherland “Untitled”
Johnny Tanner “Untitled”
Eric Slayton “Yellowstone River”
Last Year’s Festival
Man standing next to a colorful landscape painting of a canyon with a river, painted in an impressionistic style, displayed in an art gallery.
An elderly woman viewing paintings in an art gallery. Three landscape paintings are visible on the wall, featuring natural scenes such as waterfalls, trees, and a river.
A man wearing a wide-brimmed hat and glasses painting a landscape of mountains and trees on a canvas outdoors, with painting supplies on a portable easel.
People viewing artwork in an art gallery with white walls and overhead lighting.
A man with glasses, a beard, and a long-sleeved gray shirt is painting outdoors among blooming roses with white and pink flowers. He is sitting on a rock, holding a paintbrush in his right hand, and facing an easel with a palette or sketchpad. There are colorful flowers and green foliage around him.
An artist with gray hair, wearing a red shirt and a paint-splattered apron, standing outdoors on a brick patio, painting on a canvas set on an easel, with pumpkins and greenery nearby.
Smiling man wearing a black cap and blue shirt standing outdoors with a painting of a landscape on an easel behind him.
Older woman with long gray hair wearing glasses, a wide-brimmed hat with a feather, a blue shirt, and gloves, working outdoors with painting or drawing supplies and equipment at an event called the Prescott Peacemaker Air Festival.
Collection of paintbrushes with various bristle sizes and shapes stored in a blue container.
Two people in a rose garden, one taking a photo with a camera, and the other working on a laptop under an umbrella.
A woman in outdoor clothing, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and gloves, is painting on a canvas set up outdoors in a wooded area.
