Paint it Orange: Plein Air Paint-Out and Wet Paint Sale

The 4th annual Paint It Orange: Plein Air Paint-Out and Wet Paint Sale will take a new format this year! This fall, we're inviting artists from across NC to participate in Paint it NC - a virtual plein air paint out. Paint from your yard, your favorite local park, or a nearby vista anywhere in NC.

Painting en plein air, or "in open air," encourages artists to evoke the beauty of the natural world by creating work on-site and recording only what they see. Plein air painting is seen throughout the history of art, however, it gained popularity with the Hudson River School and Impressionist movement in the mid-19th century. Although some artists specialize in this art form, plein air painting can be achieved by artists of all types, who wish to draw inspiration from the landscape around them to create their work.

Artists will paint at their choice of site(s) in North Carolina from October 7-13th, and will submit up to five (5) of their favorite paintings for a virtual exhibition. This show will not be juried. The virtual exhibition will be available online with restricted access to "preview ticket buyers" beginning October 16th. The virtual exhibition will open to the public on Tuesday, October 20th. A portion of the sales of these original paintings will benefit the Hillsborough Arts Council and Orange County Arts Commission. Artists who wish to participate can find guidelines and registration information below.

Registration will remain open until October 12 at 12PM.

VIEW THE EXHIBITION

Artist Guidelines

Registration

Painting Area: *Artists may paint any subject or scene outdoors he/she chooses in North Carolina. Artists are expected to maintain complete respect for private venues and should adhere to all necessary public distancing regulations at the time of painting. Painting(s) must be completed in the outdoor area and not from photographs.*Artists to not need to be residents of North Carolina but are asked to only paint the North Carolina scenery.

Regulations: All artists must register prior to painting. This is a virtual event and therefore we will not require canvases to be stamped. Each piece must be painted en plein air, with nothing pre-painted or pre-drawn. Toned canvasses are permitted. We ask all participants to adhere to the honor system and paint during the specified dates without the use of photographs. Painting size is not restricted; up to five paintings can be submitted by each registered artist for the virtual exhibition.

Virtual Wet Paint Sale: Guidelines for submission of digital images coming soon. The sale will be hosted virtually in an online gallery. High-quality photographs with accompanying information will be required for all submissions. Up to five images can be submitted by each artist. Artists will be notified of interested buyers and will be connected with the buyers for direct sales. All work will remain in the possession of the artist until sold. Unsold works will remain the property of the artist following the close of the virtual exhibition. Artists should be prepared to frame and ship/deliver works to buyers; HAC/OCAC will not be handling work due to COVID-19 concerns and social distancing mandates.

Proceeds from the Wet Paint Sale: For all work sold, HAC/OCAC will request a 30% commission. Proceeds paid to the host organizations will support their missions to enrich and advance the arts in Orange County.

All payments will be paid to the Hillsborough Arts Council and will be divided between the two organizations following the close of the exhibition.

Checks can be mailed to:

Hillsborough Arts Council, 102 North Churton Street, Hillsborough, NC 27278

To make a payment online please click the "Buy Now" PayPal button below.

Inclement Weather: The event will take place rain or shine, so please be prepared.

Use of images: Artists agree to allow HAC/OCAC use of images produced during the event.