About the Festival
Since 2009, the Sequim Plein Air Festival has brought painters to the Olympic Peninsula to work outdoors, capturing the landscape in real time. The festival takes place each September, when the light on the north Olympic Peninsula reaches a quality that plein air artists describe as irreplaceable: warm, low-angled, and filtered through the clean marine air of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Over nine days, registered artists paint at locations throughout the Sequim-Dungeness Valley and beyond. Some set up at Dungeness Spit, the longest natural sand spit in the country. Others work in lavender fields, along the river, at the marina, or on the bluffs overlooking the strait with the San Juan Islands visible in the distance. A few make the drive up to Hurricane Ridge for subalpine subjects.
The festival culminates in a juried exhibition and collector sale that gives the community a chance to see and acquire fresh work made during the event. For many participating artists, the sale represents one of their strongest earning weekends of the year.
Festival Schedule
Day 1: Welcome & Orientation
Registered artists gather for a welcome reception at a downtown Sequim venue. Orientation covers painting locations, check-in procedures, and framing requirements for the juried exhibition. Artists receive a festival packet with maps, location permits, and contact information.
Days 2-7: Open Painting
Artists paint at their choice of designated locations across the Sequim-Dungeness area. Locations change slightly each year to keep the festival fresh and to showcase different aspects of the region's geography. A daily check-in (optional) gives painters a chance to share progress, swap stories, and get logistical help from festival volunteers.
Day 8: Framing & Submission
Artists frame and submit completed work for the juried exhibition. Each artist may submit up to five paintings completed during the festival period. All work must be painted on location (studio finishing is permitted for works started outdoors during the festival).
Day 9: Juried Exhibition & Collector Sale
The festival concludes with a public exhibition and sale at a downtown gallery or community space. A professional juror selects award winners in several categories. Collectors, art enthusiasts, and community members attend to see the work and, in many cases, acquire paintings that capture familiar Sequim-Dungeness scenes in fresh perspectives.
Awards
- Best of Show -- $1,000 cash prize
- First Place -- $500 cash prize
- Second Place -- $300 cash prize
- Third Place -- $200 cash prize
- People's Choice -- Voted by exhibition attendees, $250 cash prize
- Honorable Mentions (3) -- Gift certificates from local art suppliers
Registration
Fee: $75 general, $55 for Sequim Arts members. Student rate: $35 (with valid ID).
Registration opens: April 1 each year. Capacity is limited to 40 participating artists to maintain quality and a manageable exhibition size.
Eligibility: Open to artists 18 and older working in any outdoor painting medium (oil, watercolor, acrylic, pastel, gouache). Work must be completed on location during the festival period.
To register, email [email protected] with your name, medium, and a link to your portfolio or website. We review registrations on a rolling basis until capacity is reached.
Painting Locations
The Sequim-Dungeness Valley offers remarkable variety within a compact geography. Festival painting locations have included:
- Dungeness Spit & Wildlife Refuge -- Tidal flats, driftwood, and panoramic views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
- Sequim Bay State Park -- Protected waters, madrone trees, and shoreline scenes.
- Lavender Farms -- Rolling rows of lavender backed by the Olympic Mountains. Best in late summer when the fields still carry color.
- Dungeness River -- River bends, cottonwood groves, and bridges that frame compositions naturally.
- Downtown Sequim -- Street scenes, storefronts, and the human landscape of a small Olympic Peninsula town.
- John Wayne Marina -- Boats, docks, and water reflections with mountain backdrops.
- Hurricane Ridge (optional, drive required) -- Subalpine meadows and dramatic mountain terrain within Olympic National Park.
Accommodations
Sequim offers a range of lodging options from motels and bed-and-breakfasts to vacation rentals. Festival participants are responsible for their own accommodations. We maintain a list of arts-friendly lodging providers who offer modest discounts to festival registrants. Request the list when you register.
Volunteer
The Plein Air Festival relies on volunteers for logistics, setup, artist support, and exhibition coordination. If you'd like to help, visit our volunteer page or email [email protected]. Festival volunteering is one of the most rewarding roles we offer; you'll be immersed in the creative process from start to finish.
For more about the painting tradition that informs this festival, read our article on watercolor in the Pacific Northwest.