Plein Air Smokies

02/20/2026

Congratulations to our 2026 Plein Air Smokies featured artists:

Suzie Baker
Jill Basham
Carla Bosch
Lon Brauer
Brienne Brown
Henry Coe
Lisa Engle
Bill Farnsworth
Kari Ganoung Ruiz
Meisha Grichuhin
John Guernsey
Fred Jackson
Russell Jewell
Tim Kelly
Susan Lynn
Chuck Marshall
Kathie Odom
James Sampsel
Richard Sneary
Jeff Steiner

We can't wait to welcome you to the Smokies this fall! Learn more at gsmit.org/pleinair.

01/18/2026

There is just one week left to apply to be a Featured Artist at Plein Air Smokies 2026! Submit your application at pleinairsmokies.org.

📸: Henry Coe at Plein Air Smokies 2025

12/16/2025

At the 2025 Plein Air Smokies, our nineteen featured artists sold over $130,000 in original art, with a take-home commission of 55% – an incredible testament to the artistic talent and engaged audience of collectors and art lovers this event attracts.

If you think you have what it takes to be a Plein Air Smokies featured artist, apply for the 2026 event at https://onlinejuriedshows.com/Default.aspx?OJSID=58911.

12/02/2025

If you’ve ever set up your easel in the Smokies, you know. There’s something sacred about watching light move across these ridgelines, the mist rise from the mountains, the clear water tumbling by. Plein Air Smokies celebrates that connection to the landscape, and we’re grateful for everyone who helps share its beauty with others.

Plein Air Smokies is hosted by Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, a nonprofit dedicated to helping people form meaningful bonds with the natural world through hands-on, immersive experiences. If you want to support Tremont and help ensure a strong future for Plein Air Smokies, today is the perfect day to do it.

All gifts are being matched dollar-for-dollar by our friends at Anakeesta, up to $20,000, doubling your impact on the mountains and moments that inspire us all. Make a gift at gsmit.org/2025-giving.

11/20/2025

It's official – applications are open for Plein Air Smokies 2026! Shoot your shot at pleinairsmokies.com!

11/04/2025

Time pressure, strong competition, and a constant audience watching you work... It takes guts to sign up for the Quick Draw! We loved this video from Bethany Stahl, a first-time Quick Draw participant, where she shares her experience - and the variety of emotions that come with this kind of event.

My first plein air quick draw competition is here! I have four hours to compete against 80 other artists for one slot as an invited artist for next years Ple...

11/04/2025

🎨If you were to paint one scene in the Smokies, what would it be? 🎨

During the recent Plein Air Smokies event hosted by Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, that was a question 19 nationally acclaimed painters asked themselves on a daily basis. For our newest Smokies LIVE blog story, we spoke with several of these artists about what they found inspiring about their time in the Smokies. Read more ➡️ https://smokieslife.org/2025/10/22/with-each-brushstroke-plein-air-painters-capture-the-magic-of-the-mountains/


📸 Olena Babak

10/22/2025

On a piece of rocky ground at the base of a steep bank along the mist-shrouded Little River, oil painter Olena Babak sets up her easel. It’s late in the day to be starting a new piece — less than three hours of sunlight remain — and Babak is fresh from an hours-long painting session in the Elkmont area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. But something about the scene compels her.

Keep reading this piece by our friends at Smokies Life.

The fourth annual Plein Air Smokies event drew 19 oil, watercolor, and acrylic artists from 13 different US states.

10/10/2025

We still can't believe how amazing Plein Air Smokies 2025 was. Check out the recap to see the award-winning paintings, Quick Draw highlights, and how the event raised more than $65,000 to support Tremont’s year-round educational programs.

Tremont recently had the joy of hosting Plein Air Smokies 2025, a full week of artists, nature, community, and creative energy unfolding across the Smokies. From September 20-27, artists traveled the trails, ridges, and riverbanks of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and surrounding areas, carryin...

09/29/2025

The Quick Draw on Saturday was a blast! A huge thank-you to the 80 artists who painted with us at Sequoyah Hills Park – and to everyone who came out to cheer them on and collect original art. Special congratulations to Lisa Engle and Olena Babak, our grand prize award winners!

09/24/2025

Plein air painting in real time…

What an amazing day at the Plein Air Smokies Paintout at Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center. You can see the final paintings - and maybe even add some to your home - at the Collectors Celebration this Friday, 5:30 to 8 PM, at The District Gallery & Framery.