Driggs Plein Air Festival
WORKSHOP REGISTRATION IS CURRENTLY LIVE The 15th Annual Driggs Plein Air Festival will take place for registered artists from July 22 - August 1, 2026. Public Festival dates are Sunday, July 26 – Saturday, August 1. Artists and collectors enjoy many activities like the extended Exhibition & Sale, Opening Reception, Quick Draw Competitions, Collectors Night, Workshops, Paint-Outs, Competition Awards Ceremony, and Closing Reception. 2026 marks the second year the Festival will have a juried entry process, with 75 national selected artists invited to participate in both events and the formal competition.
2026 Driggs Plein Air Registered Artist Roster:
Judges and Workshop Instructors: Kathryn Stats and John Lintott
Mark Alldredge, Darrell Allen, Kirsten Anderson, Katelyn Baird, Olga Banks, Margie Brackin, Lynn Bright, Allen Brockbank, Nikita Budkov, Teri Capp, Nanci Charpentier, Lisa Duncan, Megan Drew, Dave English, Sara Beth Fair, Robert Fuerer, Christy Fuller, Doyle Geddes, Tim Goodworth, Laurence Granston, Eileen Guernsey-Brown, Sam Guindon, Susan Hall, Olga Hegner, Laurie Hendricks, Zach Hixson, Ellen Howard, Joni Jurek, Tice Kevin, Lester Lee, Cody Ling, Blake Luther, Catherine Martin, Deborah McAllister, Heather McCullough, Teri McLaren, Trish Melander, Bobbi Miller, Michelle Nixon, Christina Pahucki, Nolan Parson, McKenzie Paxton, David Peacock, Maria Ressler, Russell Ricks, Sabrina Schmidt, Ryan Schoeck, Stef Schroeder, Anneliese Shapiro, Cindy Shaw, Kelly Ann Sheridan, Paula Soper, Steve Spencer, Evan Stephens, Richard Szkutnik, Lara Taubner, Emily Thomas, Kevin Tice, Sue Tyler, Thomas Van Stein, Kevin Wallace, Cynde Wilson, Elo Wobig, Min Zhong
Driggs Plein Air Competition Event Information
July 22 - Sept 30
EXHIBITION & SALE - Driggs City Center Gallery | *Teton Valley Welcome Center after August 1
Artist Check-In at Driggs City Center, 60 South Main Street, Driggs
Wednesday, July 22 • 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Thursday, July 23 • 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Friday, July 24 • 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Saturday, July 25 • 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Sunday, July 26 • 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Thursday, July 23 – Friday, July 24
Kathryn Stats Plein Air Painting WORKSHOP, Location TBD
Saturday, July 25 – Sunday, July 26
John Lintott Plein Air Painting WORKSHOP, Location TBD
Sunday, July 26
5:00-6:00pm • ARTIST MIXER, Driggs City Gallery
Enjoy complimentary wine, beer, and non-alcoholic options while you mingle and connect with fellow registered artists before the concert.
6:00-8:00pm • DOWNTOWN SOUNDS CONCERT & DRIGGS PLEIN AIR FESTIVAL OPENING CELEBRATION
Relax under the Teton sky during this free community concert with Aaron Ashton Gypsy Jazz Band. We typically make great art sales during this event! This is not an official Paint Out but please feel free to bring your easel to set-up and paint on the lawn.
Driggs Plaza, 60 South Main Street, Driggs
Monday, July 27
10:00am–12:00pm • PAINT OUT at Grand Targhee Resort, Alta, Wyoming
Use your free chair lift ticket to meet fellow artists atop Grand Targhee Resort with stunning Teton Views.
Gallery and Tent Exhibition and Sales • 9am – 6pm, Driggs City Gallery
Tuesday, July 28
7:00-11:00am • QUICK DRAW, Downtown Driggs
Check in at Driggs City Gallery, 60 South Main Street
2:00pm • PEOPLES CHOICE QUICK DRAW AWARDS, Outdoors at Driggs Plaza
Gallery and Tent Exhibition and Sales • 9am – 5pm, Driggs City Gallery
Wednesday, July 29
7:00-11:00am • QUICK DRAW, Location to be announced
12:00pm • QUICK DRAW AWARDS BY COMPETITION JUDGES, Outdoors at Driggs Plaza
6:00pm • Montana Shakespeare in the Parks performance of Much Ado About Nothing on the Teton County Courthouse Lawn, 150 Courthouse Drive, Driggs *Not affiliated directly with Driggs Plein Air Festival, but it's a wonderful free evening of Shakespeare just a short walk from Driggs Plein Air headquarters!
Gallery and Tent Exhibition and Sales – 9am – 5pm, Driggs City Gallery
Thursday, July 30
4:00pm • FINAL COMPETITION SUBMISSION DEADLINE
Submissions due at Driggs City Gallery
5-6:30pm • COLLECTOR'S PARTY AND ARTIST TALK entitled, "Why Art?" by Kathryn Stats, at Driggs City Gallery
8-9:30pm• BRUSHES-DOWN BARBECUE *Registered artists only
Registered artists are invited to gather at the home of Teri McLaren to unwind and connect. RSVP required - email teddy@downtowndriggs.org.
Gallery and Tent Exhibition and Sales – 9am – 7pm, Driggs City Gallery
Friday, July 31
Driggs Plaza, 60 South Main Street
9:00am • COMPETITION JUDGING
9:00am • 3:00pm – PEOPLES CHOICE JUDGING
11:00am • 3:00pm – ARTISTS CHOICE JUDGING
4:30 • 6:00pm – COMPETITION AWARDS CEREMONY AND CLOSING RECEPTION
Gallery and Tent Exhibition and Sales – 9am – 8:00pm, Driggs City Gallery
Saturday, August 1
9:00am-4:00pm – ARTIST CHECK-OUT
Gallery and Tent Exhibition and Sales – 9am – 4pm, Driggs City Gallery
At artist check-in, all artists must sign an Artist Waiver and a IRS W9 form.
GENERAL
Please display your easel sign while you are painting to help promote the event and give people the connection to Driggs Plein Air and the Gallery, Tent Sales and Treasure Trove. Please wear your name badge as well. Your name badge must be visible in order to take advantage of the business discounts listed on the back of the badge. For last minute supply needs, the Local Galleria (across from the Driggs City Center) has paint and other supplies available and will give Driggs Plein Air artists a 10% discount on all purchases. Artists will be given discounts at local restaurants. Painting boundaries are limited to Teton Valley as artists are encouraged to paint the Driggs/Victor/Tetonia/Alta area.
SALES AND COMMISSION
A completed and signed Artist Waiver and current W-9 must be completed at Check-in for an artist to display and sell paintings during the event. All painting sales during the event MUST be processed through Driggs Plein Air! This includes all paintings in the Gallery, Tent, Quick Draws and Paint Outs. If someone wishes to buy a wet painting off your easel - great! Give me a call (216-235-7532) and I will run their credit card over the phone. It is common to be approached by individuals while you are out painting, and in some cases artists are commissioned to paint for local business owners, landowners and other interested parties. While we can't monitor your sales remotely while you are painting, we ask you to please work on the honor system. Let us process the sale in order to support the continuation of this event. Your host, the Downtown Driggs Association is a small nonprofit that relies mostly on sales commissions from the event to produce Driggs Plein Air. Commissions on art sales are used to cover expenses in order to keep the event free to the public. Driggs Plein Air will retain 30% of the painting sale price (plus all applicable sales tax). See Competition. Artist commissions representing 70% of the total sale price, plus taxes, will be mailed to the artist within 30 days of the event closing date. 1099's will be mailed to artists selling more than $600 by the deadline the following January. Artists are not allowed to hang their own paintings or any other artists work, unless expressly asked by staff to do so when artist is working as a volunteer. ONLY STAFF is allowed to hang and display artwork.
PAINTING RULES
Paintings will be displayed and for sale in the Gallery and a Tent. At Check in - You can bring up to 4 previously painted works ready to hang - 2 to hang in the Gallery and 2 to hang in the Tent. Maximum painting size for the event is 20x20 IMAGE size, and 26x26 FRAMED size. Deep Canvas Wrap and cradled board must be at least 1 1/2 inches deep and wired for hanging. All paintings must be FRAMED and ready to hang. Our hanging system only works with wire. Canvases/boards/paper may be stamped at sign in and at the registration desk in the Driggs City Center during open Gallery hours. Canvases must be free of images prior to stamping. A base coat of paint (any color) is allowed. We will provide identification tags that you may use to mark your paintings with Title, Artist, and Price. Paintings that do not comply to these rules will not be eligible for the event or the competition. Only STAMPED paintings completed during the week can be swapped out or added to the Gallery or Tent. Only STAMPED paintings completed during the week can be submitted in the final Competition. Up to 2 paintings can be submitted for the Competition in the Gallery. Oil, acrylic, pastel and watercolor are accepted media. Charcoal may be used if it consists of no more than 50% of the total composition with other accepted media constituting the other 50%. Any paper like watercolor paper or pastel paper and any non canvas surface must be STAMPED on the back. Upon submission for hanging, the back of the paper must be visible BEFORE the frame backing is put on. Paintings completed during the workshops are NOT eligible for the Competition. In the traditional definition of ‘Plein Air’, you must complete your work 100% outside from what you see during the week, within the allowable boundaries. No paintings from photographs and no entries produced using manipulated photographic processes, computer enhanced imagery, or other non-plein air means.
COMPETITION
Each artist will be allowed to enter up to two (2) paintings - STAMPED, FRAMED and wired and READY TO HANG - into the judged competition. Only stamped paintings completed during the week will be allowed to hang in the gallery during the competition judging. All final competition paintings must be submitted by 4pm Thursday, July 30 - NO late entries will be accepted. All paintings must remain in the Gallery until the conclusion of the Final Reception to allow guests to view all the competition pieces as a group and facilitate the People’s and Artist's Choice selections. The Gallery will be closed to artists during Judging on Friday morning from 9am-10:30 am. Competition paintings will be available for sale all day Friday, in order to give the public the opportunity to purchase paintings before the Awards Ceremony. Buyers will be asked to leave the paintings in the gallery through the end of the Awards and Reception. The Gallery Exhibition will extend to Sept. 30. Artists who do not wish to show their work in the extended sale should pick up their works through 3pm on Saturday, August 1. Additional Rules for the ONLINE Exhibition and Sale will be shared with those exhibiting.
TENT SALES
TENT SALES - Each artists is allowed to display two (2) Driggs Plein Air stamped paintings in the TENT. This can be a paint out, quick draw or any other stamped painting. See paint out and quick draw information below. Maximum painting size Tent is 20x20 IMAGE size, and 26x26 FRAMED size. Eligible paintings must be submitted on a FRAMED and wired READY TO HANG canvas/board/paper.
QUICK DRAWS
Participation in the Quick Draw competitions are not required, but they are great opportunities to promote your artwork and Driggs Plein Air. Traditionally, these have been high traffic events with good on-site sales. Wet paintings will be available for sale immediately following the Quick Draw at the TENT, and cash prizes will be awarded. Quick Draw paintings have to be picked up by 5pm the day of the Quick Draw, unless you submit it into one of your four spots (2 Gallery, 2 Tent) Stamping for Tuesday's Quick Draw takes place at 7:00 am in Downtown Driggs; check-in at the Driggs City Gallery. Awards for that event will be based on People's Choice voting at midday. Each person is given one vote only. Artists are asked NOT to talk to the public to promote their painting. Voting will be carefully monitored to ensure fairness. Downtown Driggs Quick Draw paintings must be started and completed within two blocks of the traffic light in Driggs. Stamping for Wednesday's Quick Draw takes place at 7:00 am on a private property. Location details will be given out the day before this event. Artists are asked NOT to return to the private property after the Quick Draw unless given permission. One or both of the workshop instructors will judge the Wednesday Quick Draw paintings midday in downtown Driggs. Both Quick Draws require that paintings be completed within the timeframe of the Quick Draw (see schedule) No Quick Draw paintings are allowed from photographs or digital devices, and no entries produced using manipulated photographic processes, computer enhanced imagery, or other non-plein air means will be accepted. All paintings must be completed on a stamped canvas or paper and must be framed.
PAINT OUTS
Participation in Paint Outs is optional and your competition piece is not required to be completed at a Paint Out. Paint Outs are opportunities to see some beautiful places and mingle with other artists. Framed Paint Out paintings can be displayed and sold in the competition. You will receive one Grand Targhee Resort lift pass to use for the Targhee Paint Out.
Driggs Plein Air Festival Awards
2026 Judges are Kathryn Stats and John Lintott
2026 Competition Awards
1st Place $1,200
2nd Place $800
3rd Place $600 *Sponsored in by Plein Air Painters of Idaho
Susan M. Rose Artist's Choice - $200
People's Choice - $200
Quick Draw 1st Place $300
Quick Draw 2nd Place $200
Quick Draw 3rd Place - $100
Plein Air Painting Workshops with Kathryn Stats and John Lintott (details below) - Registrants will receive a complete supply list and workshop details, including location specifics, from instructors with plenty of time before the workshops start. Students DO NOT have to be a registered Driggs Plein Air artist to register for workshops. Registration Opens on January 13. Cancellation deadline is May 1, 2026.
KATHRYN STATS PAINTING WORKSHOP: Thursday, July 23- Friday, July 24
$309 for 2-days of instruction | Maximum number of students is 16.
Workshop Title: "It's All About Your Values"
Kathryn teaches that "Value is the nuts and bolts of sound, strong compositions". She will help students master the use of value (the lightness or darkness of a color) to create strong, impactful, and simplified compositions in her engaging 2-day workshop.
About Kathryn: Utah-based Kathryn Stats is known for her vibrant color, dramatic compositions, and subtle brushwork. Influenced early on by her uncle, Utah painter LeConte Stewart, she has developed a lifelong dedication to studying landscape and nature. Her influences include the Russian masters, Taos painters, and historic California plein air artists, with favorites such as Edgar Payne and Clyde Aspevig.
Kathryn’s work evolved from painting the rural landscapes of her childhood to exploring the red rock country of Southern Utah and painting throughout the western United States and internationally, including Alaska, Europe, and Russia. Committed to continual growth, she seeks new subjects and challenges rather than artistic comfort.
A Master Artist with the Plein Air Convention and a two-time People’s Choice winner at Maynard Dixon Country, Kathryn is also an original Timeless Legacy purchase award winner at the Hockaday Museum. Her work has been praised for its honesty and sensuous paint handling, and she teaches workshops across the United States and internationally.
Learn more about Kathryn and her work:
Website: www.kathrynstats.com
JOHN LINTOTT WORKSHOP: Saturday, July 26 – Sunday, July 27
$309 for 2-days of instruction | Maximum number of students is 16.
Workshop Title: "Elements of Painting Outdoors"
John Lintott will explain his process and the foundations of painting dramatic landscape scenes outdoors in oil. Beginning with a small sketchbook, participants will learn how to design a scene and will execute their ideas in the field. John will focus on plein air painting's loose approach and help students connect with color and light in the landscape by direct observation.
Components of Creating Dramatic Oil Paintings (Lessons 1-4: Plan Your Scene to Completion)
1. Choose scene by doing thumbnail sketches (3-4 with slight variations): design, angles/paths, balance of lights and darks
2. Value sketch on toned panel: recreate your chosen thumbnail sketch, take time with your drawing (great time for drawing and composition edits), take your time to render your values
3. Blocking in with color: mixing neutrals, shadows, highlights, simplifying shapes (don’t worry about the details yet), keeping patterns random,
4. Refine to Completion: edges, texture (creative brush application), color pops (in shadows and highlights)
I am really looking forward to sharing my knowledge, and elements of my process that I feel are successful. My intent is not to teach students to paint like me, but to give an insight into my thought process during a painting and what works for me. I hope there are techniques that I use that you can try and apply to your own processes. Most of all, I hope we enjoy learning together.
About John: John Lintott earned his BFA in painting from Colorado State University in 2001 and moved to Fruita, Colorado the following year with his wife, Emily. While working in his family’s business, he painted whenever time allowed. In 2007, John purchased a custom frame shop in downtown Grand Junction, where he ran the business and used the front gallery as his studio. In 2014, he closed the shop to fully pursue his passion for plein air and studio painting. John currently serves as the Board President of Plein Air Painters of America.
John’s love of the outdoors began in childhood through camping trips with his family and has only deepened through his work as a landscape painter. Painting outdoors allows him to translate his connection to the landscape into work that feels honest, emotional, and alive. He thrives on new challenges in the landscape, continually evolving his process, and seeks the beauty and solitude of the natural world as both inspiration and renewal.
Learn more about John and his work: www.johnlintott.com
