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Suffolk is gearing up for the second annual Suffolk Plein Air Festival Sept. 6-11.

This year’s event has expanded to include 45 plein air artists from across the United States and as far away as the Netherlands who will “Paint Suffolk Virginia.”

“They are coming to capture the beauty of Suffolk’s waterways, landscapes and cityscapes, compete for prizes and sell their artwork,” said Sandy Waters, the festival’s co-chair. ”Seeing our city through the eyes and talents of others is a highlight of this weeklong outdoor painting event.”

Elizabeth Blanchard, Betsy Brothers and Carey Woodruff of Suffolk will be among the participating artists. Others are:

Natalia Andreeva of Tallahassee, Florida

Pamela Betts of Silver Spring, Maryland

Thomas Bradshaw of Blackstone

Coakley Brown of Henrico

Lisa Burger Lentz of Media, Pennsylvania

Gina Buzby of Norfolk

Doug Clarke of Norfolk

Lynn Cothern of Gaithersburg, Maryland

Huchen Courouleau of Ridley Park, Pennsylvania

Karen Lee Crenshaw of Jacksonville, North Carolina

rlene Daniels of Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Mary Ann Davis of Indianapolis, Indiana

Steve Doherty of Waynesboro

Vlad Duchev of Baltimore, Maryland

John Eiseman of Hebron, Maryland

Catherine Hillis of Locust Grove

Pearl Horng of Midlothian

Betty Huang of Easton, Maryland

Greg Johannesen of Port Republic, Maryland

Rose Kennedy of Hope Mills, North Carolina

Brett LaGue of Fincastle

William Lake of Charlottesville

Melanie Landrith of Media, Pennsylvania

Kirk Larsen of Hicksville, New York

Allen Lassiter of Elizabeth City, North Carolina

John Meyers of Norfolk

Theresa Miller of Vienna

Mark Monsarrat of San Francisco, California

Brian Murphy of Newport News

Lynda Mussen of Peru, New York, New York

Jim Rehak of Seaford, Delaware

Orit Reuben of Orlando, Florida

Elizabeth Rhoades of Belle Haven

Tatyana Robberts of O’Fallon, Illinois

Karen Spaulding of Hampton

Norma Swan of Norfolk

Karen Thuermer of Alexandria

Lyudmila Tomova of Raleigh, North Carolina

Dimitris Voyiazoglou of Rijswijk, The Netherlands

Rachel Vredenburg of Chesapeake

Terry Wylie of Norfolk

Lori Yates of Easton, Maryland

Waters co-chairs the Suffolk Plein Air Festival Committee with Barbara Harris. The committee includes representatives from the Suffolk Art League, Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts and Suffolk Tourism.

After three days of painting, juror James Warwick Jones will review more than 120 works of art to select the winners.

Cash awards will be given for the Best In Show, $3,000; second place, $1,000; and third place, $500. Additionally, there are non-monetary awards given for Top Rural, Top Waterway and Top Urban paintings.

From 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday, Sept. 9, artists and patrons will gather at the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts for the Wet Paint Sale and Awards Reception. Attendees will have the chance to meet the artists and view and purchase all of their new artwork.

Wet Paint Sale tickets are $100 and include food catered by Taste, an open bar and live music. Purchase tickets online at www.SuffolkPleinAir.org.

From noon to 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 10, in conjunction with the annual Taste of Suffolk downtown street festival, children, students and adults are invited to paint outside, “en plein air,” during the “Quick Draw” event. This is a chance for novice to experienced painters to try their hand at plein air painting.

Participants will produce an original piece of artwork in only two hours, with prizes awarded. Quick Draw artists are encouraged to sell their Suffolk Plein Air artwork during Taste of Suffolk. Quick Draw registration is $10, open to all ages and abilities at SuffolkPleinAir.org.

“The success of Suffolk Plein Air Festival is a tribute to the vision and collaboration of the Suffolk community,” Waters said. “So many wonderful people have opened their homes to host some of our out-of-town artists for the week. Others have offered their properties as locations for the artists to paint. Generous business and patron sponsors stepped up to ensure the arts are accessible for all, bringing together artists of all skill levels and ages – younger and older – providing rich experiences for the community at large.”

For information about sponsoring the 2022 Suffolk Plein Air Festival sponsor, attending events or volunteering, contact suffolkpleinair@gmail.com or visit SuffolkPleinAir.org.