Plein Air International Paint-Out 2026
Register:
Register for 2026 Plein Air Paint-out HereAbout:
The 2026 Plein Air Event, in conjunction with the 25th Annual International Worldwide Artist Paint Out, offers four days of art and adventure in the North Georgia Mountains. Designated as one of the top five Art Towns in Georgia by Georgia Council for the Arts and the Georgia Municipal Association, Blue Ridge provides a multitude of opportunities to capture the spirit of plein air art. The 2026 Plein Air Event provides master workshop, a Quick Paint event, silent auction and county-wide paint outs, all of which culminates in the Plein Air awards and exhibit on Sunday.
The 2026 Plein Air Event is an open invitation to all artists, amateur and professional, to paint the natural beauty of our area. Artists are welcome to bring their easels and capture the awe-inspiring fall scenes of Fannin County & Blue Ridge, Georgia. This year’s event offers a special one-day workshop with plein air artist, and this year’s judge, Marsha Hamby Savage. Our Quick Paint event for awards will be at Old Toccoa Farms on Friday, September 11th. On Sunday, September 13th, artists will return to the Art Center to submit up to two (2) pieces of artwork for judging and exhibition. Prizes totaling $1,000 will be awarded for this year’s event.
We encourage all participating artists, 18 years or older, to submit their plein air art work for our Plein Air exhibit on display from September 13th through October 31st, 2026 in our Studio Gallery. All artwork on display will be exhibited during the Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Association’s 2026 Fall Arts in the Park festival, which is estimated at over 10,000 attendees in
two days.
Pre-register for this event by submitting an event registration form to the Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Association via email at community@brmaa.org or via mail or hand delivery to Kayla Nichols at 420 West Main Street, Blue Ridge, GA 30513. Registration for Marsha Hamby Savage’s workshop is not included in Plein Air event registration. Please contact programming@brmaa.org for registration & workshop information.
Schedule:
THURSDAY, September 10th
9:00am to 4:00pm – Marsha Hamby Savage Workshop
Space is limited; Workshop information and registration information here. Artworks created during the Workshop are not eligible for Plein Air Event judging and awards on Sunday, or to hang in the event exhibit.
*CLASS REGISTRATION is not included in the standard event registration*
THURSDAY, September 10th
10am – FIRST DAY of Check-in at the Art Center
Check-in includes registration for paint-out, quick paint event on Friday, participation in the Silent Auction, and the awards event on Sunday. Welcome information, event badges, and maps of the area will be provided. Approved canvas, etc. will be stamped at this time.
FRIDAY, September 11th
10am – Check-in at the Art Center
Check-in includes registration for paint-out, participation in the Silent Auction, and the awards event on Sunday. Welcome information, event badges, and maps of the area will be provided. Approved canvas, etc. will be stamped at this time.
2:00pm – Plein Air Quick Paint Event Check-in at Old Toccoa Farms
Old Toccoa Farm, located at 596 Curtis Switch Road in Mineral Bluff, within Fannin County, has opened their incredible property to our fall event. Cradled between the 700,000-acre Chattahoochee National Forest and the 650,000 acre Cherokee National Forest, Old Toccoa Farm provides an unsurpassed playground for active living. Nature sets the stage for an endless variety of pursuits, including hiking, paddling, golf and some of the finest fly-fishing in the Southeast, not to mention some of the best Plein Air Painting spots in Fannin County! For more information, please visit their website at https://oldtoccoafarm.com.
3pm – 4:30pm – Quick Paint Event at Old Toccoa Farms
Artworks created during the Quick Paint event will be offered to the public during a silent auction sale on Saturday, September 12th and Sunday, September 13th. Each artist may enter one (1) piece in the Silent Auction. These works are not eligible for Plein Air Event judging and awards on Sunday, but will be eligible to hang in the event exhibit.
5pm – Quick Paint Judging at Old Toccoa Farms
Following the judging, participating artists of the Quick Paint event are encouraged to explore the property, relax and mingle with fellow artists at Old Toccoa Farm.
SATURDAY, September 12th
10am – Check-in at the Art Center. All day paint-out.
12pm – Quick Paint Silent Auction Submission DUE at the Art Center
Participants of the Quick Paint event are encouraged to submit their Quick Paint artwork for our Annual Plein Air Silent Auction here at the Art Center. NO LATE SUBMISSIONS will be accepted.
1pm – Quick Paint Silent Auction Begins
The Quick Paint Silent Auction will be available to the public for bidding and will be on display at 1pm Saturday, September 12th through Sunday, September 13th at 4pm.
SUNDAY, September 13th
11am – Art Center will begin accepting submissions for exhibit and awards
2pm – Plein Air Event Submissions are Due
All participating artists must return to the Art Center no later than 2pm with artwork ready for hanging and judging. BRMAA staff will begin hanging artwork for judging promptly at 2pm. NO late submissions will be accepted.
3pm – Judging begins at the Art Center
Wine will be made available for guests and artists awaiting the awards ceremony and are encouraged to make their final bids on the Quick Paint Silent Auction artworks.
4pm – Quick Paint Silent Auction Closes / Plein Air Event Awards Announced
Plein Air Event prizes for 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place, and Honorable Mention will be awarded. Wine will be made available for guests and artists during the awards ceremony.
The Blue Ridge Plein Air Event is an event and exhibition for cash awards and prizes.
Exhibit Schedule
Sunday, September 13 – Saturday, October 31, 2026
Plein Air Event Exhibit on display at the Art Center (Gallery hours Tuesday – Sunday, 10am-6pm; closed on Monday).
Sunday, November 1, 2026 – Artists pick up artwork between the hours of 11am and 4pm at the Art Center.
Accommodations:
For local area accommodations, please contact the Fannin County Chamber of Commerce & CVB at (706) 632-5680 or visit their website at www.BlueRidgeMountains.com
2026 Sponsors:
- Marketing Sponsor -
- Event Sponsor -
2026 Judge:
Marsha Hamby Savage
Marsha Savage started drawing and painting over 55 years ago with oils, adding acrylics and pastels probably within a year. She plays with Gouache, inks, colored pencils and watercolor at times as well. There is a 60-stick pastel set, created by Terry Ludwig Pastels, that she was asked to chose the colors regarding the Southeastern Landscape.
In the beginning she taught herself from art instruction books without attending any school for art. A couple of years later she took a plein air workshop from a nationally known artist who visited Marietta GA, and was off on her journey painting directly from nature. It was maybe 10 years later before she took her next workshop. She believes doing the work, playing and making the mistakes taught her more! Over her career she has taken workshops from artists that she admires, and during the past 20 years mentoring from a couple of nationally known artists.
Marsha loves all the mediums she paints in, but became a Master Pastel Artist over 20 years ago and the pastel medium influenced the other art mediums. She is a nature lover, so walking around to soak up the atmosphere, colors and sounds and how they harmonize with each other. It makes an impact on what she decides to create and says it restores her soul! Her paintings are all about the enjoyment of creating the feeling about a subject, not an exact copy! More than her thoughts regarding the finished artwork, Marsha wants the viewer to have their own story when looking at her art! Her first comment to someone looking at her art is “what do you see or feel when you look at my art?”
Marsha has paintings in galleries, and commissioned work hangs in hospitals, corporate and private collections, and were chosen for the Georgia State Capital, offices of Speaker of the House. She has been an honored to be accepted in many shows and won numerous awards at regional, National and International Juried Exhibitions. She says she is always surprised when she wins an award because it is not the reason to enter shows or plein air competitions. It is a joy to show what you paint, and the camaraderie at the events is why she does it.
Teaching, speaking to art organizations, judging shows and plein air events, and writing for over 50 years is an equal to the art creation! It is her way of giving back to the art community. She has just published a book, “It’s the Journey / Being an Artist” in March 2026 and it is available on Amazon.
