Northport Arts Association holds Gene Rantz Memorial Plein Air Paint Out
From staff reports
The Northport Arts Association (NAA) is honored to continue its annual Plein Air event originated by Gene Rantz in 2013. Gene’s original “Paint Out & Wet Paint Sale” started out small and has grown each year to where it now hosts up to 50 artists to paint throughout the tip of Leelanau Peninsula. With the permission of Gene’s family, the event is named in honor of Gene. Join the NAA on July 19 from 6-9 pm at the opening reception.
The NAA welcomes many returning artists along with new artists to share their work with the art lovers throughout northern Michigan. The association is thrilled to have so many artists coming to paint throughout the tip of Leelanau Peninsula and the Village of Northport. These amazing, diverse artists capture the beauty of the village, beaches, marina, orchards, vineyards, landscapes and landmarks. There is always a wonderful variety of subjects, media, size and style of artwork to choose from. All the artwork is original and in some cases, still wet. Their interpretation of our special peninsula rewards viewers with artistry that reflects the magic of our area.
NAA’s Plein Air offers artists the opportunity to paint on Friday and Saturday starting as early as 7 am. Artists are also invited to paint on Friday evening and submit a Golden Hour painting. Each artist has the option to submit up to 3 paintings each day, plus the Friday Golden Hour.
With 50 artists potentially creating up to 7 paintings each, that could be up to 350 pieces of art. But to manage expectations, not every artist paints that many in a day. Last year we had over 200 artworks and when the doors opened at 6 pm. People lined up around the corner to view and have first dibs on original art of Northport and nearby areas.
The artwork quality is always unique and outstanding! Northport Arts Association’s gallery turns electric with viewers enjoying displays, socializing and meeting the artists and making new friends. The opening reception on July 19 from 6-9 pm features fresh, wet off the easel paintings, a tasty array of food and cash bar. Come support the arts and find your next one of a kind piece of art.
Tickets are available online through MyNorthTickets.com. Online tickets are $17 (plus processing fees). Tickets are $20 at the door the evening of the event.
After the Wet Paint Sale on July 19, our gallery exhibit runs from July 20-Aug. 2, 12-4 pm Tuesday-Sunday. We encourage people to come to the reception for the best chance to see all of the one-of-a-kind art created by the artists.
We are thankful for the support of our sponsors and donors – Anonymous Donor for Best of Show Award, Blick Art Materials for six honorable mention gift certificates, Dr. Lisa Siddall for Golden Hour Award, Aurora Cellars & Good Harbor Vineyards as wine sponsors, Tandem Ciders as cider sponsor and Idyll Farms for their fantastic goat cheese.
We honor the dedication of the NAA Board of Directors and the countless hours they contribute to offer a variety of programs that support “arts for all” throughout the year. We can’t do all this without the many volunteers that sign up to help at the events and in the gallery. We also hold deep gratitude for the generosity of Bill and Nina Collins. They built and donated the use of the Village Arts Building to the NAA and helped launch the wonderful community organization we have become.
For more information please go to: NorthportArtsAssociation.org or email Northportartsforall@gmail.com.
