Port Wing Plein Air Painting Festival

Outdoor painting followed by a wet-paint exhibit and sale

2023 Artist Rules and Guidelines

NO PRINTS OR REPRODUCTIONS ARE ALLOWED IN ANY PART OF THE FESTIVAL AT ANY TIME
DO NOT USE SAWTOOTH HANGERS.  DO NOT USE SINGLE-EYE HANGERS. See #8 below
ALL WORKS OF ART IN THE EXHIBITION, INCLUDING SOLD WORKS, MUST REMAIN HANGING IN THE TOWN HALL UNTIL 1:00 PM SUNDAY OF THE FESTIVAL. 
  1. In order to be shown and judged in the exhibit, all painting surfaces must be stamped before you start painting.  Stamping will be done at the Port Wing Town Hall during Orientation or by arrangement with staff. Each sheet of paper in a watercolor block will be stamped on a turned over corner.  It is not necessary to remove the sheet from the block.  Surfaces for the Quick Paint event can only be stamped on the morning of the Quick Paint event. 
  2. All works of art must be produced 100% during the event.  Exceptions to this rule might be for light canvas preparation, gesso application, paper stretching, solid color backgrounds, or similar treatment.  If you have a question about your particular surface preparation please contact us before the Festival begins to get a written acceptance of your surface preparation.
  3. Works should be begun and completed on location.
  4. You may enter up to 5 paintings done during this year’s Plein Air Festival in the Exhibition plus one Quick Paint piece.
  5. You are not required to participate in the Quick Paint event.
  6. The largest size for paintings is 16×20, unframed, and 23×27 framed.
  7. You may bring paintings not created during the Port Wing Plein Air Painting Festival, framed or unframed, largest size 23×27 framed, with or without hanging hardware, and display up to 6 at a time during the exhibition. There will be a separate area for these works. They may hang or be flat on tables at our discretion. These works are not eligible for awards. These must be original works painted by you. If purchased, these works may be removed and replaced with other works at any time. These works must be submitted by Noon on the Saturday of the Exhibition. NO PRINTS OR REPRODUCTIONS OF ANY SORT, SIGNED OR NOT, ARE ALLOWED IN ANY PART OF THE FESTIVAL AT ANY TIME. 
  8. TO BE INCLUDED IN THE EXHIBITION, ALL WORKS MUST BE FRAMED (wraps excepted, BUT! See below) AND HAVE A HANGING WIRE SECURELY ATTACHED THAT WILL ALLOW THE WORK TO HANG LEVEL with our hanging system.  SAWTOOTH HANGERS, SINGLE-EYE HANGERS. SINGLE POINT HANGERS THAT ARE A PART OF THE FRAME will not allow us to hang your works level with our framing system. If we cannot hang your work level because of your framing or hanging hardware we will not hang it in the Exhibition.
    Wraps – for our purposes, a wrap is a continuation of the painting subject around the edges of a work that is at least 1” thick. An edge painted a single color will not be considered a wrap and must be framed.
  9. The framing area will closed at Noon on Saturday of the Festival. All works to be included in the exhibition must be framed and submitted at the proper place by Noon on Saturday of the Festival.

Bring framing materials and tools with you.  This should include frames, mats, hooks, nails, screws, wire, glass, hammer, screwdriver, pliers, and whatever else you might need.  We suggest that your mats be pre-cut, your frames properly sized, and your glass pre-cut and cleaned.  We will provide an area where you can frame your works.  We have no tools.  We have no materials.  We have no expertise.

  1. ALL WORKS OF ART IN THE EXHIBITION, INCLUDING SOLD WORKS, MUST REMAIN HANGING IN THE TOWN HALL UNTIL 1:00 PM ON SUNDAY OF THE FESTIVAL.    If you must leave before that time, please make arrangements for your works to be stored somewhere else until you can claim them. The Festival has no ability store your works after the Exhibition ends.
  2. Works on display but not in the Exhibition can be taken any time after they are sold but must be taken at the latest at the end of the Exhibition.
  3. The Port Wing Plein Air Painting Festival will receive a 20% commission on all works sold during the Festival whether they are painted during the Festival or not.
  4. Wisconsin sales tax of 5.5% will be charged on every sale.
  5. With the support of the Festival’s future in mind, it would be nice if artists who create works during the Festival and sell them anywhere outside of the Exhibition up to a week after the Festival ends, remit a 20% commission on those sales to the Festival at P.O. Box 94, Port Wing, WI 54865. This helps the Festival survive to the next event.
  6. And, if you do sell something directly from your easel, it would be nice, after giving the Festival a 20% commission, if you were to bring those works to the Town Hall to be included in the Exhibition. The image of the Festival is enhanced by having a larger number of works shown. The public would also love to see your works, sold or not.
  7. It is our goal to mail proceeds from purchased paintings to the artist on the Tuesday after the exhibit closes
  8. Artists are limited to painting within the area outlined on the map.
  9. Any category of prize may be cancelled if the judge(s) feel there is no competition.
  10. You must enter at least one work in the regular Exhibition to be able to enter previously painted works for sale.