Charleston Hosts First Plein Air Competition
A hundred artists painted outdoors across the Charleston peninsula in the city's first plein air competition, with entries going on sale this week.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Fine Art
A hundred artists took part in the first Charleston Plein Air Competition, painting from sidewalks, parks, and waterfronts across the Charleston peninsula. Blair Center for the Arts and Mary Martin Fine Art Gallery will exhibit and sell the competition entries starting at 5 p.m. November 6.
Why it matters
The competition gives Charleston-area artists a public venue for outdoor painting and a direct sales channel for their work. Organizers said they were surprised the region had no plein air competition before this event.
The competition drew 100 participants, each allowed to submit two paintings for judging, a count drawn from the event's own registration rules. Judging outcomes and entry sales totals had not been reported as of the extraction.
The players
Dru Blair
Co-organizer of the Charleston Plein Air Competition alongside Silvia Belviso Blair, and a painter who said he was surprised the area had no plein air competition before this one.
Mary Martin Fine Art Gallery
A Charleston fine art gallery on Broad Street that is selling the competition entries.
Blair Center for the Arts
An arts center in Mt. Pleasant that is exhibiting the competition entries alongside the Mary Martin gallery.
The details
Artists set up easels across the Charleston peninsula and painted outdoors from varied vantage points during the week of November 6, 2026. Mary O'Malley-Joyce painted an oil work at Halsey Park on November 5 depicting the Ashley River and the James Island Connector, while Sophia Butcher, 23, of West Ashley, painted the Ashley River and marsh from grass beside Lockwood Drive.
Timeline
November 5, 2026: O'Malley-Joyce paints an oil work at Halsey Park.
November 6, 2026: Competition entries go on sale at Mary Martin Fine Art Gallery at 5 p.m.
Sunday following November 6, 2026: Gallery entry sales end.
Spring 2027: A second plein air painting competition is possible, according to organizer Dru Blair.
Big Picture
The event extends the Impressionist-era tradition of painting outdoors from life into a formal, judged competition format. Its organizers' remark that Charleston had no such competition suggests the format is new to the local scene.
Local art buyers can view and purchase competition entries at Mary Martin Fine Art Gallery starting 5 p.m. November 6 through Sunday. Each artist submitted up to two paintings, so the sale offers a concentrated selection from a single event.
The takeaway
The event shows that outdoor painting can work as a public competition in Charleston, and readers interested in the work can see the entries in person this week. Organizers have signaled interest in repeating it in spring.
What happens next
Organizer Dru Blair has said a spring plein air painting competition is possible, though no date has been set.
Further reading
For more on regional art scenes, see Fine Art coverage across the Charleston area.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Post and Courier.
