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As a part of its 50th anniversary, Dare Arts has created Fresh From The Outer Banks, a brand new plein air event, which will be held September 3-5, 2025.
Plein air (open-air) is a style of painting that originated in 19th century France, where artists take to the outdoors to find inspiration for their work.

Dare Arts board director David Beal, who is facilitating the event, believes that the Outer Banks’ beaches, marshes, lighthouses, historical landmarks and overall beauty provide the perfect backdrop for artists to embrace painting en plein air.

“The Outer Banks is an ideal location for this type of event and Dare Arts’ 50th anniversary celebration provides unique timing to launch a new art initiative,” said Beal. “The setting here yields a wide range of subject matter for plein air artists, and the light here is amazing for painting outdoors. Plein air painting is built around the idea of being ‘in the moment’ and encourages artists and on-lookers to engage with each other throughout the creative process.”

Artists wishing to participate in Fresh From The Outer Banks can find the prospectus and register to participate online at DareArts.org/fresh. Artists can also call the Dare Arts Gallery at 252-473-5558 to register over the phone. The Dare Arts member entry fee is $60 and non-member entry fee is $70, and the entry fee must be paid at registration.

Award-winning American impressionist Fen Rascoe, from Windsor, will judge Fresh From The Outer Banks. He paints alla prima in oil whether in plein air or in the studio and is represented by ArtSource Fine Art in Raleigh and City Art Gallery in Greenville. Rascoe will also be teaching a two-day plein air workshop at Dare Arts on Tuesday, September 2 and Wednesday, September 3. Artists can register for the workshop online at FenRascoe.com or DareArts.org/fresh. The workshop registration is separate from the event registration.

“Late summer and fall are my favorite times to paint en plein air on the Outer Banks,” said Rascoe. “The marsh is turning color and the afternoon sunlight is becoming warmer, casting more drama on the coastal subjects. My workshop will focus on quickly capturing the light while establishing the values in the under painting before laying the color down on the canvas.”

Artists who participate in the Fresh From The Outer Banks plein air event will have their work displayed in an exhibition at Dare Arts.

There will be an opening reception for the exhibition from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, September 5 at Dare Arts. The reception will take place during First Friday in downtown Manteo and is free and open to the public.

The Fresh From The Outer Banks exhibition will remain on display in the Courtroom Gallery during normal gallery hours September 5-26, 2025.

Sponsors for Fresh From The Outer Banks include the Don & Catharine Bryan Cultural Series, Dare County, the Outer Banks Community Foundation, TowneBank and Bev Perdue.

Businesses or individuals interested in sponsoring the event or awards should contact Dare Arts executive director Jessica Sands at DareArtsInfo@gmail.com.

For more information about this event, go to DareArts.org/fresh or call Dare Arts at 252-473-5558.

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