Eagle Plein Air Festival | October 9th – 16th

The Eagle Plein Air Festival, now in its 8th year is attracting painters from all over North America. More than eighty painters are expected to turn Southwest Idaho into an outdoor living art gallery in mid-October. There are plenty of opportunities to explore, experience, expand, and discover art, music, food, culture, and friendship!

The Eagle Plein Air Festival will be held at various locations across the Treasure Valley. Some of these locations include Eagle Island State Park, Katheryn Albertson Park and the Boise and Payette Rivers. The community is encouraged to come out and watch the painters. Free painting demonstrations will be held daily from 11:00am to 1:00pm at the festival headquarters of Finer Frames.

“Over the course of a week, the Eagle Plein Air Festival hosts numerous artist workshops and presentations, culminating in our signature Festival Celebration featuring an art auction, concert and wine tasting. Don’t miss out!” says festival founder, Meg Glasgow.

So, what does Plein Air mean exactly? It hails from the French word en plein air, which is an expression that means “into the open air.” Essentially, plein air can be described as the “not-so-simple” art of painting outside.

Now, painting outside might not seem like a big deal, but when you take into consideration the fluctuation of weather and the nature of being outdoors, it starts to become a bit less simple, and a bit more… unpredictable. And that is part of the beauty of the Plein Air Festival: you never quite know what you’re going to get. Whether the sun will shine, or the rain will pour and what affect that has on art and artists. It is genuinely a one-of-a-kind experience that you can’t get anywhere else. From demonstrations to competitions and celebrations, the Eagle Plein Air Festival has everything to keep you and your loved ones entertained all week long!

On Saturday October 9th the festival kicks off with the State Street Paint Out. This timed event brings the painters to downtown Eagle for a two hour quick draw painting competition from 10:00am – 12:00pm. While you watch the painters, enjoy the live music at the Harvest Festival in Heritage Park.

So, what are artists, vendors, and attendees saying about the event?
Artist, Michael Polk had this to say, “This event gets better each year. It’s a wonderful week for artists. I love participating. Wine paint-outs, demonstrations each day, workshops, and a goody-bag for early sign-up, whoop whoop whoop! Let the party begin!”

The festival concludes with an awards show and sale celebration on Saturday October 16th at Finer Frames. See all of the paintings created during the week and celebrate with the artists in a public reception from 12:00pm to 6:00pm.

This annual event is sponsored by Finer Frames, the Eagle Arts Commission and the City of Eagle.

For more information, visit eaglepleinair.com.