Paint Dexter Plein Air Festival

06/01/2026

🎨 Featured Artist: Tina Hotchkiss

Tina Hotchkiss grew up on a horse farm in central Ohio, where an early closeness to the natural world planted the seeds of an artistic life. After earning a Bachelor's degree in Arts and Sciences from The Ohio State University, she spent 15 years working as a commercial and residential designer-a career that deepened her appreciation for drawing, rendering, and the skilled hands of the designers she worked alongside.

That love of the creative process eventually led her beyond the drafting table and into the studio. Wanting to share what she had learned, Tina began teaching drawing, and the experience proved so rewarding that she expanded her practice to include watercolor, colored pencils, and pastels-always with an eye toward exploring new forms of artistic expression.

Her work begins in nature. Photographs she takes in the field become the starting point for compositions built around shape, value, and color. Working on watercolor paper, she draws with a masked, scribbled line that suggests movement and individuality, then layers vibrant watercolor washes that flow organically across the surface. Black gesso and colored pencils are added where detail and definition are called for-each element working together to bring her vision of the natural world to life.

Tina currently teaches from her own studio and serves as a resident artist on the Etchr platform. She is a member of the Chelsea Painters, the National Watercolor Society (and its Michigan chapter), the Ann Arbor Art Guild, and the Brighton Art Guild, and has participated in numerous juried and non-juried exhibitions sponsored by these organizations.

You can find Tina and her work at Paint Dexter this year-we're glad to have her!

05/29/2026

Calling all professional artist!

This will be the last call for artists to apply for the Paint Dexter Professional category. Registration will be closing Monday, June 1st, with jurying beginning shortly after. To register, please visit: www.paintdexter.com/artist-registration/

Upon registration, please email [email protected] the following items:

-Three (3) samples of your artwork
-An artist biography (can be anywhere from a few sentences to a few paragraphs)

The deadline to submit artist samples and bios will be Wednesday, June 3rd, at 5:00pm.

Emerging category artists: Your registration deadline is July1st.

“I am following Nature without being able to grasp her, I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers.”                                                                                              Claude Monet Use this page to register for: Main ...

05/04/2026

Did you know your home could be the subject of a Paint Dexter Festival painting?

We're curating a list of distinctive Dexter School District properties to help Paint Dexter Plein Air Festival artists find inspiring locations to paint. Featured here is local residents Courtney & Mike and their home on Baker Road which has been used as a subject not once, but twice for Paint Dexter!

Register your property below for a chance to be part of the art!: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScuUN1jkyxuBQLTnTQn-htFSErmlO4TJj7LQoRAfLS_nTDiKw/viewform

05/01/2026

🎨 Featured Artist of the Month: Cornelis VanSpronsen

Born in the Netherlands, Cornelis spent his formative years across Holland, Indonesia, and France before calling the United States home. A painter since the age of 12, he built a distinguished career as an art director, graphic artist, and designer, operating his own design studio for 25 years before devoting himself fully to painting.

His deep love of the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist movements shapes everything he puts to canvas, revealing itself in loose, gestural, and immediate brushwork that feels alive in the moment. Cornelis participates in juried en plein air events and national competitions, while also taking on studio commission work. His ongoing travels both at home and abroad continue to fuel the rich variety of subject matter that defines his work.


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Cornelius is one of many talented artists we've had the privilege of featuring. Our Featured Artist of the Month highlights past Paint Dexter participants-so if you're wondering how to get involved, we'd love to have you! Professional Artists can register through June 1st by emailing sample images and a bio (in a Word doc) to [email protected] before signing-up. Emerging Artists have until July 1st to register. Click here to learn more and sign up: https://paintdexter.com/artist-registration/

04/24/2026

We are so grateful to announce three wonderful Award Sponsors for this year's plein air festival! 🎨Uart, Golden Artist Colors & Silver Brush Ltd.

They are each generously contributing prizes that will be awarded to our talented artists. Details on the specific award are coming soon-stay tuned!

Thank you to these incredible businesses for supporting the arts and our community. We couldn't do this without you! 🙏

04/02/2026

🎨Featured Artist of the Month: JIll Stefani Wagner

Whatever she paints, Jill Wagner's focus is always "the light"-and how it transforms every scene she captures. Working in pastel and oil, she approaches her paintings as a sculptor would, carving out nuances of light and shadow to bring her subjects to life.
A devoted plein air artist, Wagner paints at festivals across the U.S. and Europe, bringing an immediacy and authenticity to her work that can only come from painting in the open air. She holds the distinguished title of Master Pastelist with the Pastel Society of America and Master Circle with the International Association of Pastel Societies-among the highest honors in her field.

Her work has been featured in Pastel Journal, Fine Art Connoisseur, and Plein Air Magazine, which selected one of her paintings for its cover. A sought-after instructor, Wagner teaches workshops throughout the U.S. and Europe and has served on the faculty of the Plein Air Convention multiple times.

Jill's paintings are held in corporate and private collections across the United States and Europe, and she is represented by four fine art galleries in the Midwest. A University of Michigan School of Art graduate, she once owned an award-winning advertising agency in Ann Arbor-before "seeing the light" and dedicating herself fully to her art.
🌐 Website: https://www.jillwagnerart.com/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jill.s.wagner


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Jill is one of many talented artists we've had the privilege of featuring. Our Featured Artist of the Month highlights past Paint Dexter participants-so if you're wondering how to get involved, we'd love to have you! Professional Artists can register through June 1st by emailing sample images and a bio (in a Word doc) to [email protected] before signing-up. Emerging Artists have until July 1st to register. Click here to learn more and sign up: https://paintdexter.com/artist-registration/

03/12/2026

🌿 There's something special about painting Dexter in the open air-and we want YOU to be part of it this year.

Applications for the Paint Dexter Plein Air Festival are open!

Whether you're an experienced professional or an emerging artist finding your voice, there's a place for you here. This years Festival runs from August 10th-15th.

✨ Professional Artists: Apply by June 1st
(Sample images and bio [in a Word doc] must be emailed to: [email protected] before applying)
✨ Emerging Artists: Apply by July 1st

Space is limited, so don't let this one slip by. Come paint with us.

👉 Learn more & register here: https://paintdexter.com/artist-guide-requirements/

03/09/2026

🎨 Featured Artist of the Month: Ed Kennedy

Ed Kennedy considers himself primarily a self-taught artist. While earning his Chemical Engineering degree at University of Michigan, he took courses such as Life Drawing and Drawing Fundamentals, while also studying art magazines, books, and visiting museums whenever possible.

It was through an art magazine that Ed discovered the pastel paintings of Albert Handell. Inspired by Handell’s work, Ed purchased his first set of pastels-and never looked back. Although he began exploring oil painting around the same time, pastels quickly became his primary medium. Today he works in both oil and pastel, though pastel remains his favorite.

Ed continues to expand his artistic education through workshops, collaboration with fellow artists, and ongoing study. He has attended workshops with artists including Scott Christensen, Albert Handell, Anita Louise West, Frank Serrano, Aaron Schuerr, Susan Lyon, and Richard McDaniel. One of his most memorable experiences was spending a day watching Richard Schmid and Albert Handell paint together during a workshop in Vermont.

His work has received recognition from the Pastel Society of America and the International Association of Pastel Societies, and he has exhibited at the Butler Institute of American Art. Ed is a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America and a Master Circle Member of the International Association of Pastel Societies.

Ed now resides in Michigan with his family and continues to create and share his work.

🌐 Website: https://www.edwardkennedystudio.com
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ed.kennedy.90

03/06/2026

Spend a weekend learning from a professional artist during our Adult Painting Workshop! This two-day class is open to painters of all skill levels, whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your technique.

🖌 Dates: Saturday, August 8 & Sunday, August 9
🕘 Time: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
👩‍🎨 Instructor: This years judge-Todd Zuithof!
💲 Cost: $250
🎂 Age: 18 and up

Participants will receive hands-on instruction and feedback while developing their painting skills during the weekend leading up to the festival. Space is limited, so early registration is encouraged!

👉 Register here: https://paintdexter.com/workshop-for-adults/

03/05/2026