Seventy artists from across the country will fan out across St. Charles and the Tri-Cities area starting Monday, setting up easels along the Fox River, in downtown storefronts, and inside a century-old Japanese garden for the city’s third annual Plein Air event. The weeklong competition, running Aug. 17-23, has grown fast since its 2024 debut, and this year it comes with $5,250 in cash prizes and a public sale expected to feature more than 250 finished works.
The St. Charles Arts Council’s event started with 40 juried artists in 2024, climbed to 58 in 2025, and has now hit 70 participants for 2026, according to the Shaw Local News Network. Plein air, French for painting in the open air, demands quick, observational work in whatever conditions the week throws at an artist, and this year’s roster will paint day and night throughout the competition, per that report. The council itself has described the format as prioritizing keen observational skills under pressure rather than the controlled setting of a studio.
Judges will hand out awards across multiple categories, including Best in Show, Nocturne, and Quick Paint, with the $5,250 purse consistent with prior years, according to BaseLocal. The council keeps a 30% commission on artwork sold during the week and at the closing Grand Reveal sale, and once artists submit their entries, they are barred from changing prices, per rules published by EntryThingy. Registered artists can exhibit and sell up to four pieces plus whatever they produce during the Quick Paint session.
A Contest Open to Amateurs, Too
Not every brush in town has to belong to a juried professional. Residents without event registration can enter the Quick Paint competition at Pottawatomie Park on Wednesday, Aug. 19, for a $20 fee, competing in a separate two-hour, on-site judging window from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., per EntryThingy’s contest rules. Every painting has to be started and finished inside that strict two-hour block, giving amateurs the same pressure-cooker conditions as the visiting professionals…