Bucks County Plein Air Festival
June 6, 2016 to June 11, 2016
Bucks County, PA
Application Dates
Feb 10 to Mar 23 '16
Application Fee
$50.00
(see prospectus for details)
Notification Date
Apr 1, 2016

Prospectus

1st Annual Bucks County Plein Air Festival
June 6 – 11, 2016

Join us for a week of plein air painting in verdant and historic Bucks County, located in the Philadelphia countryside. Paint the rolling landscapes, lakes and rivers, covered bridges, stone farm houses, and historic estates that have inspired artists for more than a century. Jointly hosted by Bucks County Community College, the Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce and Alan Fetterman Fine Art, proceeds will support art scholarships and arts programing in Bucks County.

$15,000 in Awards

Best of Show $5,000 and Alan Fetterman Fine Art Medal
1st Prize $3,000
2nd Prize $2,000
3rd Prize $1,000
Bucks County Resident Artist Prize $1,000
People’s Choice Award $1,000
4 Honorable Mention Awards $500 each

Eligibility

The Bucks County Plein Air competition is open to all painters age 18 and older. All entrants will be juried, and the total number of participants will be limited to 50. At least 10 participating artists will be residents of Bucks County, PA.

Submission Requirements

Entries must be submitted electronically, along with a non-refundable application fee of $50.

Artists must submit three (3) digital images of plein air paintings made within the past two years. Images must be JPEG format at 300 dpi and sized to 1800 pixels on the longest dimension. Refer to the Help menu on the Juried Art Services site.

An artist biography (up to 1000 characters) is required.

Deadline for entries is March 23, 11:59 p.m. EDT

Important Dates

March 23 Online Application Deadline
April 4 All competing artists notified by email
April 11 Selected Festival Artists confirm their participation
May 1 Names of Festival Artists posted at www.BucksCountyPleinAir.org
June 6 Artist registration, orientation and welcome dinner
June 7 Artists paint in Bucks County Lake District
June 8 Artists paint in Bucks County Cultural District
VIP reception with artists
June 9 Artists paint in Bucks County Historic District
June 10 Artists paint in Newtown, Tyler State Park, or Bucks County Community College campus
Artist reception and award ceremony, collectors’ preview and gala
June 11 Quick Draw competition, exhibition and sale, all open to the public
Artists pick up unsold paintings at 5 PM

Competition and Sales

All work must be original and painted en plein air during the Festival. Acceptable media are oil, acrylic, watercolor and pastel. Paintings may not exceed 20 inches in any dimension, excluding frame. All exhibited artworks must be stamped, framed and wired, and available for sale.

Artists must submit two (2) finished pieces for prize judging.

Artists may submit up to three (3) additional pieces for exhibit and sale.

BCPA will retain 40% commission of the sale price. All works commissioned during the Festival Week will be treated as sales. Payments to the artists for sold work will be mailed 30 days after the event. All artists must submit a completed W-9 form at time of artist check in.

Unsold works must be removed at 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Winner of Best of Show will be exempt from jury process for the 2017 Festival.

Award Ceremony and Gala

All artists will receive free admission to the award ceremony and gala on Friday, June 10. Tickets for artists’ guests are $125 each.

Housing

Every effort will be made to provide host housing in exchange for a small painting of the artist’s choice. Some housing may be made available at a reduced rate at local motels. Artists wishing to apply for host housing should make their request know upon submission of the Agreement to Participate. Host housing is available on a first come first served basis and is only for participating artists. Family members are not able to be accommodated.

Jurors

Kenn Backhaus, Signature Member and Past President, Plein-Air Painters of America

Kenn Backhaus is a Master level artist in Oil Painters of America and the American Impressionist Society, Signature member in the California Art Club, and past president of the Plein Air Painters of America, the oldest and most prestigious plein air group in the country. His paintings have won numerous awards, including Best in Show, Collector’s Choice, and Artist’s Choice. Kenn was featured and one of the hosts in the APT Television Series, Passport and Palette and the PBS Series Plein Air, Painting the American Landscape. His work was graced the cover of Plein Air Magazine in fall of 2011 and was published in the book, Art of the National Parks, in 2013. Kenn now resides and works in the famous Bucks County region, truly practicing in the historic traditions of the Pennsylvania Impressionists.

 

Alan Fetterman, Bucks County Plein Air Artist

A highly recognized and award-winning American artist, Alan Fetterman produces work sought and collected for continuing the Pennsylvania and Bucks County Impressionist and plein air traditions. As a Kay scholar and graduate of University of Pennsylvania and Bucks County Community College, Alan transfers knowledge into art. He carries a personal and endearing connection to the rolling landscapes of Pennsylvania, especially those of Bucks County, where he lives. He's a long-standing member of the Philadelphia Sketch Club and a past member of New York City's Salmagundi Club. Featured in 30+ solo-exhibitions, his work and life have been profiled in dozens of magazines, columns, and books.

 


Al Gury, Chair of Painting, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts

A painter, educator, writer, and curator, Al is a recipient of the Cresson Traveling Fellowship and numerous grants and awards for painting and arts education, and was designated a master teacher by both The University of the Arts in Philadelphia as well as American Artist magazine. His paintings have been exhibited, among other places at the National Academy of Design in New York, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the National Capitol in Washington D.C. and galleries across the country. He is a contributing editor forPer Contra-­‐The International Journal of Arts, Literature and Ideas and has written two books Alla Prima-­‐A Contemporary Guide to Direct Painting, Random House, 2009, and Color-­‐It's Traditions and Practice in Painting, Random House, 2010. He is currently writing a book for Random House on the history and practice of drawing.

Lisa Tremper Hanover, Director & CEO, James A. Michener Art Museum

Lisa Tremper Hanover was named Director and CEO of the James A. Michener Art Museum in March 2012 after a successful tenure as Director of the Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art at Ursinus College. Since then she has overseen the transformation of the Michener Art Museum’s physical facility with new façade landscaping, revitalization of permanent collection galleries, refreshed curatorial efforts, a celebration of the Museum’s 25th Anniversary of operation, and negotiated for the highly successful exhibition From Philadelphia to Monaco: Grace Kelly – Beyond the Icon presented in 2013-2014 to over 100,000 visitors. Lisa has juried over 85 art exhibitions and public art commissions and served on the Board of Directors of the Wayne Art Center, The Baum School of Art, and the Wood Turning Center of Philadelphia.

Additional Terms and Conditions

The Festival will be held regardless of weather and will not be re-scheduled.

Artist attendance at all events is mandatory.

Competition artists release and hold harmless BCPA, their officers, employees, agents and designees from any and all responsibility or liability. BCPA is not responsible for any monetary losses, including bad checks or credit cards.

Visit BucksCountyPleinAir.org for a complete list of terms and conditions.

The Bucks County Plein Air Festival seeks to promote Buck County’s most valuable assets through artistic and economic efforts that will enhance, educate, celebrate and preserve its unparalleled heritage and uniqueness.​

For more information:

BucksCountyPleinAir.org
bcpleinair@bucks.edu
215-968-8224