Plein Air Down Under

Workshops, Paint Outs, Exhibitions, Awards & Prizes, Demonstrations and Artist Talks. This festival celebrates everything to do with outdoor painting.

Plein Air Down Under invites artists to join in the fun of the Peel Region’s outdoor painting festival. Come and paint, or come and watch!
Over $8,000 in cash and prizes is on offer for artists accepting the challenge of capturing the character and beauty of Mandurah and Pinjarra’s natural and built environment.

Pre-festival activities include:
World Wide Paint Out: 11 & 12 September, Mandjar Square
Featured Guest Artist Exhibition, Mandurah Performing Arts Centre
Watercolour Masterclass, en plein, with feature artist Herman Pekel (3 days)
Pastel Masterclass, en plein air, with feature artist Lyn Diefenbach (2 days)
Oil Painting Masterclass, en plein air, with feature artist Leon Holmes (2 days)

Festival weekend activities include:
Demonstrations by feature artists Herman Pekel, Lyn Diefenbach & Leon Holmes
Day and evening paint outs
Two-hour ‘Quick Draw’ painting competition
A day painting in historical Pinjarra
An exhibition of festival weekend artwork, continuing to 10 October
Awards and prizes

What is Plein Air Painting?
En plein air is a French expression meaning “in the open air” and refers to the act of painting outdoors. The artist’s subject is in full view, with no photographic reference. It allows the artist to paint a moment in time, in real time. Plein air artists capture the spirit and essence of a landscape or subject by incorporating natural light, colour and movement.