Year after year, our plein air event celebrates the landscape of the Umpqua Valley, from its breathtaking emerald rivers to its abundant farmlands. These locations define our area, and they are favorite painting spots year after year. Each summer, UVA offers artists the opportunity to connect with both nature and fellow creatives at their plein air “paint-out” event. After nearly a week of painting in the great outdoors, artists display and sell their work in the UVA galleries; pieces are juried, judged, and eligible to receive purchase awards. Artists searching to stretch their creative muscles, outdoor aficionados, and dedicated art collectors alike will all find something to love about this tribute to the land of the Umpqua. Come join artists who share your passion for plein air art and spectacular, diverse landscapes!
UMPQUA PLEIN AIR 2025
Paint-Out Event: Aug 18th – 22nd, 2025
Opening Reception: August 23rd
UVA’s Umpqua Plein Air event and exhibition is back August 18th – 22nd 2025! This annual event is well-attended and will feature another week of painting outdoors and celebrating the beauty of Douglas County. The 15th Annual Umpqua Plein Air event will host artists from across the region over a 5-day paint-out event where they will go across the Umpqua Valley and paint the incredibly varied landscapes that surround us, then they will return to UVA and submit their works which will be juried by a guest juror. Read more information about the event and the 2025 Juror below!
Event Information
Check out the Schedule of Events, Entry Rules, FAQs, and more below!
About the Juror
Umpqua Valley Arts is honored to have Aimee Erickson as the 2025 Umpqua Plein Air Juror! Aimee Erickson is an internationally renowned oil painter and instructor. Her first book, Plein Air Techniques for Artists: Principles and Methods for Painting in Natural Light, was released in 2023 to broad acclaim. A standout at plein air painting competitions nationwide, Aimee has won too many top awards to list. She has exhibited with international plein air groups, is an inaugural member of Charlie Hunter’s En Train Air expedition, and in 1997 painted the official portrait of governor of Oregon Barbara Roberts. Her work has been featured in multiple publications to add to her notoriety. Erickson has a BFA in Visual Communication Design with an Illustration emphasis. She live sin Portland, Oregon, and carries a sketchbook.
Schedule of Events:
We are currently making adjustments to our website to better serve artists interested in our Umpqua Plein Air event. Stay tuned for more information about the Umpqua Plein Air 2025 schedule, list of paint-out locations, and more!
MORE ON UMPQUA PLEIN AIR
Even Highlights:
- Event kickoff with an online orientation, juror talk, and live Q&A session.
- A special Artist Social to give artists a chance to check in with other artists, look at the maps, and buddy up. UVA provides coffee and foods to grab and go for paint-outs and answer any last-minute questions before the event starts.
- Extended painting dates to allow for artist flexibility. (Painters do not have to paint every day to participate or enter their work in the competition.)
- The beauty of nature—Umpqua Plein Air highlights incredible locations throughout the valley, spanning from Oregon’s center all the way to the coast and featuring stunning views along the North Umpqua River, old-town charm in Oakland, pastoral farmlands, and the wilds of the Oregon Coast!
- Local wineries with sweeping vistas offer artists a chance to sample the local bounty as they create. UVA’s interactive map highlights several wineries that make perfect paint-out locations.
- Live juror demonstrations.
- Opportunities for youth to participate in paint-outs through our special Young Artists en Plein Air event. Youth who create their own plein air paintings get to submit their piece(s) for a special showcase of local talent during the Umpqua Plein Air exhibition!
- A juried art contest awarding 40 Awards of Distinction, including 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-place winners, the M. Graham and People’s Choice Awards, and multiple “Best of” awards.
- An exclusive reception for individuals and businesses committed to purchasing artwork through UVA’s Purchase Award Program.
Purchase Award Program:
The Umpqua Plein Air Purchase Award is a program that provides our community of supporters with the opportunity to partner with UVA in our mission to foster a local climate for arts appreciation, participation, and education by committing to purchase a painting created by plein air artists during this annual event.
Interested community supporters and partners can RSVP for a special reception where they will be the first to see the works and purchase at least one piece to add to their permanent collection for their home or business. For each piece that an individual or business purchases, a Purchase Award Certificate will be displayed alongside the work stating who purchased the piece for brand and name visibility and award announcements will be made on our website, social media, and during the Opening Reception.
Registration and Event Information Coming this Summer!
Keep your eyes on Umpqua Valley Arts’ social media and website for information about our 2025 Young Artists en Plein Air event! Umpqua Plein Air embraces the landscape of the Umpqua Valley with a paint out event and exhibition that celebrates the breathtaking emerald rivers to abundant farmlands and shaded forest paths found in Douglas County. To offer young artists a chance to get in on the fun, UVA hosts Young Artists en Plein Air, a FREE community event for Douglas County Youth to paint and draw the landscapes of the Umpqua just like established and emerging artists in the main event.
2024 Umpqua Plein Air Event Sponsors:
UVA wants to give a special thanks to these community partners:
Gathering Grounds Coffee House • Old Soul Pizza • Growing Miracles Lavender Farm • Rustic River Farms
• Melrose Vineyards • Triple Oak Wine Vault • Growing Miracles Lavender Garden • Crane Creek Ranch
WHY PAINT IN THE UMPQUA VALLEY?
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
UVA acknowledges, honors and respects the indigenous people of this region, the Umpqua People, on whose ancestral lands the UVA building now stands. These include the Nahank’ uotama (Cow Creek Takelma) and the Upper Umpqua Peoples who later became the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians and were incorporated into the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.
The Cow Creek Tribal areas include the Cascade and Coast Ranges in Southwestern Oregon, along the South Umpqua River, and its primary feeder stream, Cow Creek. This tribal area includes the Umpqua watershed and surrounding areas. The Indigenous peoples of the Umpqua Valley never surrendered lands or resources to the United States and there are Indigenous communities nationwide that are actively fighting for the preservation of sacred lands.
UVA gratefully recognizes that the Umpqua Valley is made up of many diverse communities of indigenous peoples who continue to live, work and thrive in these lands today.
We invite you to join us in acknowledging all of the above as our shared responsibility and to consider our roles in healing the wounds of the past, so we continue to build a brighter tomorrow.
Payment and Refund Policy: Full payment at time of registration is required. Up until two weeks prior to the start of the event, you will receive a full refund (minus a $10 service charge) should you need to cancel your registration. However, cancellations made after this two-week time frame are nonrefundable. Should UVA cancel the event, all participants will receive a full refund or credit toward future classes.