09/04/2026
Meet Payton Leroy, winner of the Plein Air Competition for her beautiful painting of the Tidewater Inn! 🎨✨ Payton’s winning piece will be on display at the Tidewater Inn throughout the month of September. Stop by to see it in person and learn more about the talented artist behind the painting below!
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Payton LeRoy is a two-time “Next Generation” winner at Easton’s prestigious Plein Air competition, the nation’s largest outdoor art festival. Her painting “Tidewater Inn” is this year’s winner; her “Tiger in the Woods” acrylic was the first-place pick in 2023.
Her love for art began at a young age to express herself when she experienced speech difficulties and to keep calm when she felt frustrated. Her natural ability as an artist was encouraged by her parents, Susan and Scott, as well as her many art teachers both in public school and at the Academy of Art Museum in Easton, and most recently Artipre in Ellicott City.
In addition to being an artist, Payton is a multi-disciplinary dancer and varsity tennis player—she won the 2A East Regional Championship in Spring 2026 and then medaled 3rd place for Girls Singles at the Maryland State Tennis Championships. A junior in high school, she hopes to major in Biomedical Engineering and Immunology with a minor in Art at college. A member of the Torch and Laurel Honor Society, she has been chosen twice to attend the Congress of Future Medical Leaders as a delegate at UMASS/Lowell.
