By late morning on Aug. 21, downtown sidewalks and Rocky Mountain trail pullouts will be crowded not with tourists, but with painters. The air will smell of linseed oil, pallets will be loaded with color, and the 2025 Estes Valley Plein Air Festival will be underway, transforming the valley into an open-air studio.
“I do a number of events and paint regularly with a Plein Air Artists of Colorado group–Estes Valley is my favorite event for a number of reasons,” said Loveland artist Jenifer Cline. “I enjoy the quick paint on the first Saturday even though it is rather stressful to get a piece done with everyone watching, (but) my very favorite part of painting in the event is creating the work in Rocky Mountain National Park (and) interacting with the visitors.”
That combination of artistic challenge, public interaction, and natural inspiration defines the festival, which runs Aug. 21–26 with an exhibition at the Art Center of Estes Park from Aug. 29 to Sept. 29. Each year, juried and invited artists from around the country converge on the Estes Valley to paint en plein air, French for “in open air.” In addition to producing pieces for the gallery show, participants take part in contests, community events, and live painting sessions that draw collectors and curious onlookers alike.
The Plein Air Festival began over 30 years ago under the Cultural Arts Council of Estes Park. When the council closed in 2016, the Art Center revived the event in 2018. Since then, it has grown into one of the Center’s most popular programs.
Kathy Littlejohn holds up one of the paintings in the quick paint auction along the Estes Park River Walk is one of the plein air events. Credit: Courtesy/Art Center of Estes Park
“My history extends beyond what we do here,” said Art Center gallery director Lars Sage. “I worked for the Cultural Arts Council for a few years and helped with the event over there. When they closed, I was on the board at the Arts Center, wrote a proposal to do the event, and we’ve been doing it ever since.”
Sage explained that the Center’s version is slightly shorter than in the past, but it retains the essentials: a Quick Paint downtown, a nocturne paint out, group painting sessions, and a gala awards ceremony. “I always enjoy the Plein Air because it’s been a community tradition,” Sage said. “We didn’t want to lose that tradition, and since we’re the only other nonprofit arts gallery, it just made sense for us to take on the event.”
Painting in the wild
From Aug. 21–26, participating artists will spread out within 50 miles of Estes Park and throughout Rocky Mountain National Park. They will have their painting panels stamped at registration before setting out. The public’s best chance to see artists in action comes Saturday, Aug. 23, during the Quick Paint at Riverside Plaza downtown. Registration begins at 8 a.m., the paint out starts at 8:30 a.m., and the on-site auction kicks off at 10:30 a.m.
“That event is open to the public and one of the highlights,” Sage said. “The artists have 90 minutes to come up with a painting, their work gets judged, and then we have an auction. It’s so fun to see the variety that comes out of the same location.”
Another highlight is the group paint out at MacGregor Ranch on Aug. 26, where artists can work from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. “It’s such a scenic area out there,” Sage said. “They can take in the environment and work alongside each other.”
On Aug. 27, artists will turn in up to six works, including three main entries, one nocturne, one miniature, and one reserve. The show will be hung Aug. 28, followed by a gala opening at the Art Center on Aug. 29 from 5 to 7 p.m., with awards presented at 6 p.m.
The festival presents artists with $5,000 in cash and certificates across categories, including main gallery works, miniatures, nocturnes, and a poster, postcard, and wine label contest in partnership with Snowy Peaks Winery. Visitors to the monthlong exhibition can also cast ballots for a people’s choice award, announced after the show closes Sept. 29.
Why artists return
For many artists, Estes Valley Plein Air is more than just another stop on the competition circuit. Boulder painter Kathleen Lanzoni has returned for more than a decade.
“The people who organize it and the landscape, because it’s beautiful up there, keep me coming back,” she said. “And it’s convenient for me, to be truthful, it’s only an hour from home in Boulder. It’s one of my happy places. I also love the challenge of painting outdoors on location.”
Last year, Lanzoni received both the nocturne award and the artist’s choice prize. “When I’m outdoors painting, I’m not just trying to capture the impression of what I see on the paper,” she said. “I’m not trying to make another photograph; that’s never my goal. I call my technique painterly impressionism. My goal is to do the best painting I can and be creative about it.”
This year’s festival will welcome 36 artists from 17 states. Some stay with local host families, and others return year after year to paint familiar vistas. Community support, professional recognition, and breathtaking surroundings keep the event vital.
“It’s not easy—painting outside never is—but it’s definitely very Colorado and very unique,” she said. “Plein Air is great because you get to sit around, talking shop with the other artists, because people come from around the country, so you get to trade ideas and materials, and I really enjoy that aspect, too. Every year, I leave feeling grateful I got to do it again.”
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