3rd Annual Paint Laurel Plein Air event

LAUREL, DEL. – Laurel will be host to the 3rd Annual Paint Laurel Plein Air
on Saturday, May 11, 2024 along the banks of the Broad Creek in Janosik Park.
En plein air, a French phrase meaning “in open air,” describes the process of painting a
landscape outdoors. Plein air painting can be traced back to Impressionist artists such
as Monet, Renoir, and Pissaro – painting outdoors and capturing fleeting moments of
light, color, atmosphere, and the mood of a scene, rather than detailed representations.
Artists working in oil, acrylic, pastel or watercolor will be setting up their easels in
Laurel’s parks, along its streets and throughout the beautiful surrounding farms and
natural areas to capture the essence of a spring day in western Sussex County.
Several award-winning landscape artists from throughout the region have registered to
participate, including three who are juried entrants in the prestigious Plein Air Easton in
nearby Easton, MD.

This fun, informal painting event in the morning will be followed by an opportunity for
artists, collectors, and other visitors to view and purchase the finished pieces during a
public art walk and “wet paint sale” starting at 11:30 a.m. in Janosik Park. Over the past
two years, more than $6,000 in framed artwork has been sold. Patrons and collectors
are encouraged to get there early to make their purchases since sales can be brisk.
There is no entrance fee for anyone who wishes to attend the event.

Ed Lewandowski, the event co-founder and a community development specialist with
Delaware Sea Grant at the University of Delaware, said he was overwhelmed by this
year’s artist response to Paint Laurel. “Registration for the event went live at 8:00 a.m.
on February 1 and by 3:00 that afternoon, we had already reached our capacity of 30
artists!” This year’s field of plein air artists will be coming to Laurel from as far away as
Manassas, VA and Baltimore, MD, but Lewandowski said he is really pleased by the
support of local artists. “I think we have at least seven artists from the Nanticoke River
Arts Council, which has been a terrific supporter of Paint Laurel since its inception.”

Paint Laurel Plein Air info can be found online at www.paintlaurelpleinair.net.