PLEIN-AIR PAINTING (from the French for "in the open air") is the act of painting finished artwork entirely outdoors. Popularized by the French Impressionists, it involves working quickly to capture the fleeting, ephemeral qualities of natural light, weather, and atmosphere.
The beauty of Prescott’s pine-covered landscapes will come to life on canvas this summer as Yavapai College’s Prescott Art Gallery presents Art in the Pines: Seventh Annual Prescott Plein Air Festival, August 26–30 at the Prescott Campus Gallery, the Richard Marcusen Sculpture Garden and selected scenic locations around Prescott and Yavapai County.
This vibrant five-day festival invites art lovers, residents and visitors to watch creativity unfold in real time as 23 artists from Arizona, California and Washington paint Prescott’s unique scenery. Guests can visit accessible demonstration sites throughout the festival, meet the artists and experience the plein-air process up close at no cost.
The celebration culminates with a public reception and art sale 1:30–4:30pm on Sunday, August 30 at the Jim and Linda Lee Performing Arts Center and the YC Prescott Art Gallery. Guests will have the opportunity to mingle with participating artists, discover fresh works inspired by Prescott’s landscapes and purchase original paintings directly. Works created during the festival that are not sold at the reception will remain on display and available for purchase in the gallery September 1–11.
Adding to the excitement, this year’s Best of Show Award will be judged by Phoenix-based artist and longtime Art in the Pines participant Tom Conner, the winning artist to receive a $1,000 cash prize. Last year’s Best of Show winner, San Diego-based artist Jose Nunez, will present a solo exhibition at Yavapai College’s Patty McMullen-Mikles Gallery in Clarkdale. Nunez’s plein-air show runs August 27–September 17, with an opening reception 5–7pm on Thursday, August 27.
The 2026 festival lineup showcases a dynamic mix of regional and visiting talent, including Dana Cohn of Prescott, a Yavapai College Art Department adjunct instructor and noted muralist; Prescott-based artist Alison Crary; Robin Deshayes of Los Olivos, California; Priya Drews of Flagstaff; Kristine Dutton of Prescott; Lydia Gatzow of Sedona; Lance Gulseth of Phoenix; Igor Kogan of Gilbert; Barbara Mulleneaux of Tucson; Ben Norton of Rimrock, a member of the Yavapai College Art Faculty; Clarissa Kear, an MFA candidate at the University of Arizona; Prescott-area artist Josh Chaney; Sedona artist Hope Ricciardi; Seattle-based artist Sean Lamoreaux; Prescott artists Neil Orlowski, Steve Baker and Beth Okurowski; Casey Cheuvront of Scottsdale; Verde Valley artist Raven Boer; Tempe artist Cindy Carrillo; Phoenix artist Anton Nowels; Kadin Goldberg of Southern Arizona; and Tucson’s Cheryl Decker.
This is the festival’s seventh year since its founding by Janet Humphrey, and it’s well on its way to becoming a prestigious national art event, with a wide variety of artists from all over the nation coming to Prescott to participate. This is the best opportunity to see real art made in real time all over Prescott.
