Each September, artists from around the East Coast come to Calvert County to participate in the Solomons Plein Air Festival. En plein air, which is French for “in the open air,” means that the artists work outside instead of in studios. They are encouraged to find whichever landscapes and scenes inspire them.
For the first time this year, the opening day of the Plein Air Festival has the artists going to any area in Calvert County that they choose. I ventured out to Jefferson Patterson Park hoping to find at least one artist there, but I had no luck. Fortunately, all the artists are supposed to be in Solomons on Thursday through Saturday.
The festival kicks into high gear on Saturday when the artists participate in a quick draw competition from 9 to 11 a.m. The artists are allowed 2 hours to complete an entire work on the Solomons Riverwalk. A children’s festival will be going on simultaneously at Solomons United Methodist Church.
From 5 to 6 p.m., there will be a champagne reception and awards ceremony for the artists, followed by the Affaire of the Arts public art show at carmen’s gallery from 6 to 9 p.m. The champagne reception requires tickets. However, the art show is free and the artists’ works are available for purchase. Proceeds from the art sales fund scholarships for the College of Southern Maryland, as well as support many of the annual events in Solomons.
Even if you can’t make it to the art show, you can hopefully catch some of the artists at work over the next few days. Many of the participating artists are from right here in Calvert County. Those who go to the art show will get to see all the works submitted at the end of the festival. This is a good chance to see how artists view the people and places in Solomons and around the county.
Solomons Plein Air Festival
September 18-21, 2013