In place of the Wallowa Valley Arts Festival, the Josephy Center for Arts and Culture is thrilled to present a new and dynamic event: the En Plein Air Festival, coming September 2025.
This special celebration will invite artists to showcase both their studio work and freshly created plein air pieces in a week-long painting competition. The festival kicks off on Saturday, September 13, 2025, with five days of outdoor painting. Artists’ studio and plein air works will be displayed in JCAC’s Main Gallery, culminating in a “Quick Hang” on Friday afternoon, September 19, followed by a festive exhibit opening that evening.
Festival Judge: Stephen Hill
Steven’s journey as an artist began early—he won his first major award in 4th grade for a Red Cross art contest in Boise, Idaho. From there, art became his constant companion: through high school, college, and even the U.S. Army, where he served as an illustrator.
After earning his MFA in Painting from Washington State University in 1972, Steven went on to teach art, run a successful graphic design business, and eventually dedicate himself fully to painting. Since then, he has earned 65 top awards in major fine art competitions worldwide, exhibited internationally (including in Florence, Italy and NYC), and was honored with membership in the prestigious Salmagundi Club in New York in 2018. His work is held in museums, corporate, and private collections—including a permanent place in Zion National Park, alongside historic painters like Thomas Moran.
Steven describes plein air painting as a way of exploring special places with “every element of my psyche dialed into the joyous, expressive and interpretive language of painting on-site.”
Virtual Festival Exhibit
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