The 9th annual Quinte en Plein Air festival is here! The event takes place from June 20-23, 2024. Artists leave their studios behind and take their easels outside to paint the beautiful scenes of Quinte. Artist registration begins Thursday, June 20 at 9:30 am. Artists bring their blank canvases into the Quinte Arts Council (QAC) Cultural Hub, 36 Bridge St. E in Belleville, where the team will stamp them and send the artists on their merry way to paint the town. Artists are given a gift bag including Bay of Quinte Discovery Guides, a map of the area and a bag of cheezies donated by Hawkins Cheezies to help them feel welcome to the city.
There will also be chalk at the QAC for those interested in creating their own sidewalk en plein air masterpieces!
Artists will compete to win $3600 in prizes including:
- First place $1000
- Second place $500
- Third place $300
- Mayor’s choice $200
- Artist Paint Off $200
- People’s Choice $200
- Honourable Mentions $200 each
On Friday, June 21st artists will continue to paint and give the community the chance to spot them at various locales – not to be missed – a Paint Off at 5 pm during Downtown at Dusk in the Belleville downtown street closure. Watch as artists compete against the clock for a chance to win $200 while they paint a downtown scene. The winner of the Paint Off will be chosen by the team of the Belleville Downtown District BIA, who are graciously sponsoring this event and who have donated the space in the street closure to the QAC.
“The Quinte en Plein Air Festival draws artists and enthusiasts from across Canada to the picturesque Bay of Quinte region. This year, in response to the artists’ requests, we’ve organized a one-day sale and award ceremony at Paulo’s Restaurant on Sunday the 23rd,” explains Janet Jarrell, Executive Director of the Quinte Arts Council. “This festival provides a unique opportunity for the public to witness visual artists creating under pressure, and attendees can acquire their own interpretation of the stunning Quinte landscape.”
As artists paint, the public will get a chance to watch as their paintings evolve from sketch to completion, all in one location. Artists will be painting from Thursday June 20 at 10 am until Saturday June 22 at 2 pm. Artists are encouraged to post photos of themselves painting on social media, tagging #quinteenpleinair to create a virtual map for visitors to use so they can find the artists at work.
On Sunday morning before the awards ceremony our esteemed juror, Keith Thirgood, President of the Ontario en Plein Air Society, will jury the art, choosing the winners whose paintings best exemplify the art of painting en plein air.
The public is invited to the awards ceremony and one-day art sale on Sunday, June 23 from 1:30-3:30 at Paulo’s Restaurant. Take home a piece of the Quinte region and congratulate the artists on a job well done.
Quinte en Plein Air would not be possible without the help of our sponsors: Paulo’s and Dinkels Restaurants, The City of Belleville, The Bay of Quinte Regional Marketing Board, Hawkins Cheezies, Belleville Downtown District BIA and The John M. and Bernice Parrott Foundation.
