Art Association adds Quick Draw to Plein Air Paint Out
From staff reports
Each year the Glen Arbor Art Association’s (GAAA) August Plein Air Paint Out attracts artists from throughout Michigan and the Midwest to paint for a day in the Glen Lake area and then sell their paintings at the popular annual Wet Painting Sale at GAAA’s gallery off Lake Street on Saturday, Aug. 4 from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
“The response to this year’s Call for Artists was more phenomenal than ever with 62 artists registering to participate and filling the available spots by early May,” said Linda Young, co-chair with Mason Query. “It spurred us on to think about how we might expand the Paint Out to two days so that we could give all area artists the opportunity to participate and an extra event for registered artists who have traveled some distance to this area.”
The result is a new event to the Paint Out weekend. On Friday, Aug. 3, GAAA will host a warm up for artists and the public. Quick Draw at Thoreson Farm, offers the opportunity and challenge to paint or draw the historic farm in the short allotted two-hour time frame. The farm is part of historic Port Oneida, three miles north of Glen Arbor, in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Park. Artists will register at 3 p.m. and begin working at 3:30 but must stop at 5:30 p.m. Refreshments, exhibit and art sale will follow from 6-7 p.m.
There is a $15 fee for artists to participate ($10 for GAAA member artists) but they may sell their paintings during the art sale, which is open to the public. For more information, please visit www.glenarborart. An extra incentive for artists is the Quick Draw prize of $75 juried by Chicago-area artist and seasonal resident Hank Feeley. His work is held in public and private collections nationally and internationally and he is represented in Chicago and New York City galleries
The Quick Draw is free to the public to attend and watch the artists as they paint and draw the landscape. “This is a great opportunity to see the artists in action” continued Young. We hope visitors will bring a picnic dinner and come out to watch the artists at work. It is quite amazing how they can bring an image to life so quickly. We’ve heard about quick draws organized by some of the larger, national plein air competitions and that artists like the challenge so we thought why not try it here? We have the perfect location.”
