Educational

Earl’s “impressionistic realism” style of oil painting explores the effect of light on scenes in nature, often memorable landscapes from hiking vacations in national parks, woodlands and local scenes.

Thomas could be photographing a park ranger in Misiones, Argentina, or setting a camera trap to capture elusive species such as an ocelot.  Each day brings new excitement and challenge.

The festival proudly presents the 13th annual Rosen-Schaffel Concerto Competition for Young & Emerging Artists, known for the pivotal role it has played in launching the careers of some of our region’s most promising young artists. 

As an artist, Ricky just keeps adding media to his list of media:  pen, ink, watercolor, oil, acrylic and  photography.  Whether painting the quaint fishing village of Southport, home to his artist studio for 25 years, or photographing the history and beauty of his Blue Ridge mountain retreat, Ricky seeks to make connections through his work.

For Bobbie, there is no one medium. She does drawings, scratchboard, mixed media, pastels but watercolor is her first love. Bobbie’s topics are varied as well, but she loves to do pairs of paintings that have a common theme and resonate with viewers.

In honor of the competition’s 38th anniversary, we invite you to join sculptor Christopher Meyer, our competition juror, for an engaging outdoor tour of the ten sculptures chosen as finalists for this year’s event.

Working both in the studio and en plein air, Craig paints in an impressionistic style with an emphasis on color and composition.

Gina’s watercolor and acrylics work is filled with color and joy.  A self-proclaimed colorist, Gina is drawn to old barns, churches, trucks and sees them through a joyful and colorful lens.

As we celebrate AASF’s 40th anniversary, this series will offer behind-the-scenes discussions with artists from the music, dance, and visual arts worlds that center around a common theme of legacy and longevity.

Whether it’s the beautiful places he has traveled to, or right here at home in western North Carolina, Lonnie has captured amazing vistas, wonderful architecture and distinctive faces across the world. 

As a local artist, Jack enjoys capturing the rare beauty of Appalachia, often right outside his cabin door.  His favorite paintings are brightly pigmented landscapes filled with the light and character of places he frequents. 

JoAnn knows watercolor. She’s been enthusiastically painting watercolors for over 25 years. Her major inspiration comes from scenes she’s photographed during many trips across the US.

Alysa primarily works in clay to produce decorative and functional pottery.  She has added a series of shadow boxes as form, with both clay and encaustic (hot liquid wax) as primary media to expand her work.

Scott believes in original art. Ideally, everyone would have access to such art in and for their homes. The landscape of the High Country is a wonderful muse.

Randi’s love of horticulture and botany has informed her still life paintings and in oil painting, she found the medium to capture all the things she loves.

Brad is a self-taught pointillist artist who is a full-time High-Country resident. Pointillism is an art form where thousands of small brushstrokes or pen marks present composed images when viewed from afar.

Lee has been a painter almost as long as she’s been a dancer. Lee’s oil paintings reflect “dancing on the canvas” and are full of motion and heavily pigmented color, brimming with vibrant energy. 

The Blowing Rock Plein Air Festival is a four-day, open enrollment plein air painting event. It takes place in the beautiful mountainous area surrounding the town of Blowing Rock in western North Carolina, from Tuesday, August 20th, to Saturday, August 24th, 2024. 

Jim captures unique and engaging images of the landscape, culture, and people of our region. He scours mountains, woods and towns hunting for scenes that reveal the beauty, wonder and sometimes the pathos of the area and its inhabitants.

Sue paints what she knows and what she sees but very much considers herself a work in progress. Sue studied Japanese and Chinese art for five years and was artist in residence for 17 years at the Morikami Japanese Museum in Delray Beach Florida.

Function, beauty, feeling and fun drive Lucas’s work.   His hope is that the energy he invests in every piece flows to the users and enriches their lives. 

Crystal is a watercolor artist from the mountains of North Carolina. Crystal fills/paints her “shadowboxes” and other paintings with small commonplace living things, particularly those provided by an incredibly diverse Blue Ridge Mountains environment.