By Taiyler Stanfield, STN Writer

The Dexter community’s 12th annual Paint Dexter Plein Air Festival, August 12-17, 2024, promises to once again bring an enriching and joyous experience for local and visiting artists looking to compete with both friendly and professional competition.

Winning 17 awards throughout the years, Paint Dexter allows over 75 artists around the country to show off their own vibrant and creative pieces that can be sold at the Tent Gallery to patrons and other artists.

There are up to $4,500 in award money given out during the festival to artists of the professional and emerging level. The professional winner of the Plein Air Competition will win a grand prize of $1,000, and the emerging winner will win $500. Other awards include $250 for the winner of the Quick Draw and $200 for the winner of the Bicentennial Competition. There is also an additional five awards worth $100 each.

This year’s winners are judged by award-winning Master and Eminent Pastelist Nancie King Mertz.

Born and raised in Central Illinois, Mertz got her Master’s in Art from Eastern Illinois University and her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting from the University of Illinois.

Mertz has won multiple awards, including Master Pastelist, the Boldbrush Award, Eminent Pastelist, and Outstanding Pastel. She was even twice named Chicago’s “Artist of the Year.”

Mertz’s work has been featured in several publications, which include Plein Air Magazine, French Magazine, Southwest Art, American Artist, and several Pastel Journal articles. Work of hers can be found at the Artful Framer Studios and Scout, both located in Chicago.

She has also juried, demonstrated, and taught at multiple workshops in the U.S., Italy, Croatia, and France, where some of her paintings have been exhibited in the U.S., China, and across Europe.

Currently, Mertz is a member of three international pastel organizations.

The Plein Air Competition allows contestants to paint up to three pieces for a prize, where entry increases from $20 to an additional $10 for each painting.

Another competition held at Paint Dexter that adds even more excitement to the festivities is the Quick Draw where contestants’ skills are pitted against the clock that seems to move quicker the longer you stare at it.

In addition to judging the festival, you may get a glimpse of Mertz in action since she’s leading the two-day adult workshop that teaches members how to paint plein air.

The Plein Air Festival will also host workshops such as the Wednesday Youth Workshop, where hands-on plein painting will be held for three different age groups – elementary, middle school, and high school.

If you are interested in registering for Paint Dexter’s Plein Air Festival or learning more about it, go to paintdexter.com/artist-registration/ for more information.