Art in the Wild

Local artists take their talents to the great outdoors next month for Lighthouse ArtCenter’s Twelfth Annual Plein Air Festival

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Kari Ganoung Ruiz painting at the 11th Annual Plein Air Festival in 2024. Photo by Jordan Weber_Lighthouse ArtCenter
Kari Ganoung Ruiz painting at the 11th Annual Plein Air Festival in 2024. Photo by Jordan Weber/Lighthouse ArtCenter

Next month, get ready to spot a new species roaming in the wild at our local parks and beaches. Armed with blank canvases and backpacks full of supplies, they will be setting up easels in off-the-beaten-path locations, ready to capture the world around them in colorful strokes of paint. These talented painters are known as plein air artists.

Now in its twelfth year, Lighthouse ArtCenter’s Plein Air Festival welcomes artists from all over the world for a week-long event to celebrate the art of plein air painting. The term refers to a technique that dates back to the nineteenth century, when Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir would venture outdoors to paint “en plein air.” This year’s festival takes place March 2-8, all over Palm Beach and Martin counties.

Sandy Serenity, Manon Sander. Courtesy of Manon Sander
Sandy Serenity, Manon Sander. Courtesy of Manon Sander

The experience, says local artist Manon Sander, is like no other. “It’s a multisensory experience,” she says. “The sun is on your skin, and the birds are singing. It stirs emotions in you, and all of that goes into your painting.” Sander, who resides in North Palm Beach, is one of this year’s returning artists, selected from more than 100 applicants to be part of the juried art show. Last year, a painting she did at Jupiter’s Pine Glades Natural Area won top honors in the “Best Local Hot Spot” category.

When the selected artists arrive in town, they are each given empty wall space in the Lighthouse ArtCenter gallery. As they create new paintings throughout the week, their works are added to their wall. “The festival is a really unique experience because the exhibition is evolving day by day,” says Lighthouse ArtCenter curator Anthony Record.

Bill Farnsworth painting at last year’s Plein Air Festival. Photo by Jordan Weber_Lighthouse ArtCenter
Bill Farnsworth painting at last year’s Plein Air Festival. Photo by Jordan Weber/Lighthouse ArtCenter

“We can paint anywhere in Palm Beach or Martin counties,” says Tequesta resident and artist Pamela Ayres, who has participated in the festival for the past five years. “I look for strong shadow patterns and color. I have to have a connection to what I’m painting.” In past festivals, Ayres has chosen to set up her easel in places like Mounts Botanical Garden and Busch Wildlife Sanctuary, and she won third place in the professional division of the 2021 Paint Out Competition for her work Amelia Birdheart, which she painted at Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens.

Shrimp Ahoy, Pamela J. Ayres. Courtesy of Pamela J. Ayres
Shrimp Ahoy, Pamela J. Ayres. Courtesy of Pamela J. Ayres

Artists typically complete two or three paintings a day, which are framed and displayed on their wall throughout the week. Each of the 30 juried artists picks two pieces to be entered in the juried competition on Friday, March 7. More than $10,000 will be awarded—the grand prize, first, second, and third place, and honorable mentions. The completed works are also available to purchase throughout the week. For more information and the full festival schedule, visit lighthousearts.org/pleinair-2025.

Art Watch

Catch a special live demo at these locations:

March 2: Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse & Museum (Paint Out Competition), 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

March 3: Sewall’s Point Park, Stuart, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

March 4: Riverbend Park, Jupiter, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

March 5: Dubois Park, Jupiter, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

March 6: Juno Beach Pier, Juno Beach, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

March 8: Lighthouse ArtCenter, Tequesta (Live Painting Relay Race and Auction), 10 a.m. to noon

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