The 2023 Quickdraw will be held in Mexico Beach this year, featuring a wide range of exceptional subject matter sure to challenge and delight all artists. Exact location is Sunset Park in Mexico Beach, located at 1813 Highway 98. All completed work will be displayed for judging and sales immediately after the painting ends. The Judge will select several paintings to be displayed for the week in a special Quickdraw Exhibit. The reception will be held that afternoon for those artworks selected for display at The Joe, 201 Reid Avenue in Port St. Joe, from 4-6pm. Everyone is welcome at no charge. The judge will present his comments on the paintings receiving awards at this reception. 

Online registration is available now. On site registration begins at 8:00 am EST and the registration fee is $20. This event is open to anyone over the age of 14 who wishes to participate and has their own supplies and easels. You will choose either the Professional or Open Class for the competition. Artists may use any medium, but must paint in the plein air tradition. Canvases must be blank, and design work cannot begin prior to the 9 am horn.  Contact us at info@pleinairfl.com if you have questions about this. Please click HERE to register. 

DATES AND TIMING: 
Saturday, March 18 - 8:00 am - 8:45 am EST:  Artists check in at the registration desk, pay if they haven’t already paid online, have their blank canvases stamped, and pick up their title & price label.  No canvas will be stamped if painting/design has been begun prior to the starting time.  Deadline for pre-registration is Thursday, March 16th.

Saturday, March 18 - 9:00 am EST:  A horn will sound and artists may begin painting en plein air style on any subject.  The Quickdraw artwork must be created during the Quickdraw time frame.  Any violators will be banned from future events.

Saturday, March 18 - 11:00  EST:  The closing horn will sound and the Quickdraw artists bring their just completed artwork and easels to the exhibit/sale area for the judging and sale.  Artists are responsible for returning on time even if they are not within hearing distance of the horn.  There is little turnaround time, so please be prepared with a title and price when the Quickdraw volunteer visits you and establishes your catalog number.

All artists must be set up for judging by 11:30 pm EST. Judging will begin at 11:30 pm EST and end at 12:30 pm EST. The Quickdraw Awards are announced and ribbons are awarded. The judge will make comments about the winning paintings selected and an outdoor reception will be held immediately afterwards here at this location. 

A special exhibition of a limited number Quickdraw works will be selected and hung at The Joe, 201 Reid Avenue in Port St. Joe as a feature of the 2023 event. Please note that all paintings must be properly framed and ready to hang. Volunteers will be available to assist, but artists must provide their own frame ... so plan in advance and bring one with you. The exhibit will be open each day from 11 am to 5 pm, March 19-22, 2023. It will close at 5:00 pm on the 22nd. There is no additional charge to participate in the exhibit and sale if your painting is selected.

Each artwork is required to be for sale and to have a title and a price written on the provided label.  Each participating artist should consider Forgotten Coast en Plein Air his or her gallery.  There will be a 50% commission collected from the proceeds of each Quickdraw sale to fund this event; any violators will be banned from future events.  Proceeds from our annual plein air event are shared with communities in Franklin and Gulf counties.