Maine has plenty of beautiful places to paint, but few offer the artistic history and scenery of Perkins Cove.
This Saturday, September 12, 2026, artists and art lovers will descend on Ogunquit for the 6th Annual Perkins Cove Plein Air Painting Event, transforming Perkins Cove, Marginal Way, and other picturesque corners of town into one enormous outdoor studio. The event runs throughout the day, with a rain date of Sunday, September 13.
If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like to watch an artist capture one of your favorite Ogunquit views from a blank canvas, this is your chance.
What Exactly Is Plein Air Painting?
“Plein air” simply means painting outdoors, with artists working directly from the landscape in front of them rather than from a photograph or back in a studio.
And Ogunquit provides quite the studio.
More than 100 artists are expected to participate this year, setting up their easels throughout Perkins Cove, along Marginal Way, around Ogunquit Beach and elsewhere in town. Artists must create their competition pieces outside, and they aren’t permitted to use photographs or phones as references.
That means the paintings you’ll see emerging throughout the morning are interpretations of Ogunquit as it actually looks that day. The boats in the harbor, the changing ocean, the September sky, and that famous Maine coastal light.
A Tradition That Feels Right at Home in Ogunquit
There’s an especially fitting reason for holding an event like this in Perkins Cove.
Ogunquit has attracted painters and other artists for generations, and Perkins Cove played an important role in developing the historic Ogunquit Art Colony. The organizers describe the Cove as “hallowed ground” in American art history, noting the remarkable number and variety of artists who have depicted this tiny Maine seaside community over the decades.
Plein air painting in and around the Cove continues that tradition.
Visitors get to see something that would have been familiar in Ogunquit generations ago: artists standing along the water and rocky coastline, brushes in hand, attempting to capture their own version of this “Beautiful Place by the Sea.”
Here’s What’s Happening Saturday
The latest schedule from the event organizers has the painting competition running from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., followed by competition judging from 1 to 2 p.m. Then comes one of our favorite parts of the event: the Wet Paint Sale from 1:30 to 4 p.m.
And there’s plenty happening beyond the easels.
Live music will fill Perkins Cove throughout the day, with Beau Dalleo performing from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., followed by Lisa Mills and the Ocean Ave Band from 1 to 4 p.m.
So even if you can’t tell your oils from your acrylics, there’s still plenty of reason to come down, walk around, listen to some music, and enjoy a September day in the Cove.
Artists Are Competing for $9,000 in Prizes
There’s some serious competition behind all that creativity.
This year’s participating artists will compete for a combined $9,000 in prizes, with separate professional and amateur divisions along with several special awards.
The professional artists will be judged by acclaimed pastelist Lyn Asselta, while artist Jonathan McPhillips will judge the amateur division. McPhillips’ work spans everything from New England’s coastal shores and farmlands to urban environments.
Special categories this year include Best Use of Light, Quintessential Perkins Cove, and a Future Generation Prize encouraging younger artists to participate. There’s also a particularly appropriate award recognizing the Best Depiction of Marginal Way, celebrating the beloved coastal path’s 100th year.
Take Home a Painting of Ogunquit, Painted That Morning
The afternoon Wet Paint Sale might be the coolest part of the festival for visitors.
After watching artists spread across town and create their paintings that morning, you’ll have the opportunity to purchase some of those original works in Perkins Cove that very afternoon.
Think about that for a second.
You could spend your morning walking Marginal Way, stop to watch an artist painting the view in front of you and, hours later, potentially head home with an original piece of artwork capturing that very same September day in Ogunquit.
For anyone who loves Maine art, or is looking for something considerably more personal than the typical souvenir, that’s pretty special.
Make a Day of It in Perkins Cove
One of the best things about this event is that you don’t really need an itinerary.
Come down in the morning, grab a coffee, and wander around looking for easels. Walk across the Perkins Cove Footbridge, stroll a portion of Marginal Way, browse the Cove’s galleries and shops, and stop for lunch or a drink at one of the local restaurants. Perkins Cove is home to more than 30 shops, galleries, dining destinations, and water attractions, as well as the entrance to Marginal Way.
Then circle back in the afternoon for the judging, Wet Paint Sale, and live music.
It’s the kind of event where simply wandering around is part of the fun.
A September Saturday Made for Maine Faves
We love events that don’t just happen in a Maine town but actually celebrate what makes that town unique, and the Perkins Cove Plein Air Painting Event checks every box.
It’s art. It’s history. It’s live music. It’s local businesses. It’s a walk along the ocean on a September afternoon.
And, perhaps best of all, you’ll get to see Ogunquit through more than 100 different sets of eyes as artists put their own interpretation of one of Maine’s most recognizable coastal communities onto canvas.
If you’re looking for something to do in Southern Maine this weekend, we’d put this one high on the list.
6th Annual Perkins Cove Plein Air Painting Event
Saturday, September 12, 2026
Rain Date: Sunday, September 13
Painting Competition: 8 a.m.–1 p.m.
Judging: 1–2 p.m.
Wet Paint Sale: 1:30–4 p.m.
Location: Perkins Cove, Marginal Way & throughout Ogunquit, Maine
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