SARANAC LAKE — Saranac Lake ArtWorks celebrates its 18th Annual Adirondack Plein Air Festival, from Aug.17 to 22.
The event drew 40 juried artists, including 10 first‑time participants, who will spend six days painting the Adirondack region. Returning favorites will seek new interpretations of familiar views, while new artists will offer fresh perspectives on the landscapes residents know so well, according to a press release.
“Don’t miss it. The public should be sure to be there. It’s a very exciting event. We have lots of amazing artists joining us, ten of which are new this year, returning artists who do such a great job of catching the Adirondacks on canvas,” said Lorraine Merrihew, executive director of the event. “Revenue from the festival directly funds our year-round programming for Saranac Lake ArtWorks. It allows us to offer free community events, expand artists opportunities and support the Saranac Lake arts community,” .
FAR AND WIDE
The artists hail from all over the country and North America — Maryland, Ohio, Texas, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania Connecticut, Virginia and Quebec.
“It starts Monday. So, we’re hopeful for good weather. Hopeful for no smoke, if the sun could shine, and the bugs could stay away; that would be a good week for these artists,” Merrihew said. “They paint Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Friday four paintings are due to the Town Hall. They hang them for jurying, and then our awards are selected. And then they can fill their walls with as many paintings as they would like.”
LOCAL FOUNDER
Saranac Lake artist Sandra Hildreth, who founded the Adirondack Plein Air Festival, the first of its kind in the Adirondack region, has painted in every festival since its inception.
“Every day I paint, no matter where I go, it’s a new adventure. And even if I go to a location I’ve been painting for 30 years, there are always unique conditions: the weather, the time of day, the landscape itself – have the trees grown taller? Are there wildflowers blooming? Is the water low in the creek? Is there a breeze and is the view sharp and clear or hot, hazy and humid? Or have a pinkish grey cast due to the smoke from Canadian wildfires?” the artist said in a press release. “To live and work in a place as scenic and beautiful as the Adirondacks is a gift. Why sit in a closed‑in studio when you can be outdoors listening to bird calls and feeling the breeze on your face?.”
Hildreth notes that the Festival’s mix of local artists, returning painters from across the country, and first‑time participants creates a variety of perspectives.
“It’s always amazing how many different ways a group of artists can ‘see’ the same landscape and end up with uniquely different paintings,” she said.
PRESTIGIOUS JUROR
Vermonter Cynthia Rosen is awards juror and a workshop presenter.
“She has done our festival previously,” Merrihew said. “She has done many plein air festivals throughout the country.”
Rosen is an award‑winning painter whose work captures the energy of a world in constant motion, revealing her distinctive way of seeing and celebrating creativity. Rosen has earned national recognition for her achievements in plein air painting.
Her recent awards include a second-place Award at Door County Plein Air (2024); first place and Best Waterscene at the Gloucester Invitational – Monroe County (2023); and first place in Small Paint Sunday at Plein Air Easton (2022). She has been honored multiple times at the Wayne Plein Air Festival, receiving third place in 2023 and Best in Show in 2022. Additional distinctions include the Curator’s Award at the Borrego Springs Invitational (2019), Honorable Mention (2018), and numerous awards across several years at Bath County Plein Air, including the Sonya McKay Award and People’s Choice
NEXT GEN
Cora Pahucki, who earned her place through a competitive jury process that drew 87 applicants, is among this year’s first‑time festival artists. Although this is her first year participating as an official festival artist, her connection to the event runs deep.
“I have been plein air painting with my mom since I was about 10 years old, and I officially started painting alongside her at the Adirondack Plein Air Festival in 2019, when I was 14,” she said in a press release.
When asked what she was most excited to paint in the 2026 Festival, she said, “This year, I am most excited to paint a landscape at the Rollins Pond Campground, where my family has camped every summer since I was born.”
The highly anticipated festival sale, which raises approximately $20,000 annually, starts Friday evening with a preview party at the Harrietstown Town Hall.
“Tickets are $25 to get in, and it’s hundreds of paintings that have been done throughout the week. We announce awards, beverages and food are provided. It’s a great opportunity to meet the artists. Our juror will do a presentation. Walk us through why she chose who she chose for award winners. Then on Saturday from 10 to 5 in the Town Hall, it’s free and open to the public and is an open opportunity for the public to view it. A silent auction is available,” Merrihew said.