RiverArts Sixth Annual Paint the Town is a four-day festival scheduled from April 23-26. Artists paint the local scene for three days and make them available for sale at the Wet Paint Show and Sale on Saturday, April 25. The Patrons’ Preview Reception will be held from 5:00-6:00pm, giving them first choice to purchase their favorite piece. The show is then open and free to the public from 6:00-8:00. On Sunday, there is a two-hour Quick Draw; these paintings are then shown in Fountain Park from 11:00-12:00. These works are also for sale and the public gets to vote for the People’s Choice Award.
Chestertown RiverArts Paint the Town has clearly developed a reputation to be proud of. The 50 slots that were allotted filled quickly. Almost all the artists are from out of town and many are new this year. The artists love coming here and their hosts and the public love having them.
Popular local artist, Zane Carter, talks about his creative process and why he enjoys Paint the Town. “Paint the Town brings a mix of anxiety and euphoria for me. I always feel anxious leading up to it because this is the one time each year that I actually do artwork. But then on the first day when I go scouting for locations a wondrous thing happens. I slow down and really look at the beauty of Kent County. Maybe it’s a jade green field of winter wheat writhing past a weathered red barn with a silo for a sentinel or ribbon of sky blue unwinding through the marsh grasses; a regal stand of cedars casting long shadows in the late day sun. That’s when it happens. That’s when the art becomes fun, when it’s not about making a picture, but celebrating the splendor of the Eastern Shore. “
Visiting artist, Ray Ewing, one of last year’s prize winners, is returning to Chestertown once again. He too describes his creative process and why he enjoys painting here. “For a two-dimensional artist, painting is a way of telling a story. As a writer, filmmaker or poet would record a moment in time, a plein air artist quickly captures a transient moment from direct observation. Finding the right place to set up to do the painting is the first challenge. I often feel like a hunter searching for prey. All artists paint light and finding the right light being cast on a subject that interests me, at just the right angle, is the thrill of the hunt. If I can capture and record that moment successfully I will have a ‘trophy’ to hang on the wall”
Ray enjoys painting in Chestertown because it offers a wide variety of places to paint within a comfortable walking or driving area. “Fields and farms are on every turn in the road. Nautical views, both open water and quiet lagoons make for great compositions. Boat yards, train tracks, downtown and side streets add to the painting menu.”
The public also loves this plein air event. They love going through town and seeing the easels set up on the sidewalks or out in the fields, capturing so many different views of Kent County as depicted by each artist. Local enthusiasts enjoy seeing how the artists look at Chestertown with a fresh eye, seeing light they see everyday in a fresh way. For hosts of the artists it is interesting to see the editing process as guest artists choose which of their works to submit. And everyone, artist and public alike, love being part of an outdoor event when it’s a beautiful spring day.
If you are interested in becoming a patron for Paint the Town, you can go to www.chestertownriverarts.org to pay online or you can call 410-778-6300, or stop by the gallery at 315 High Street, Suite 106. Regular hours are Tuesday-Friday, 11:00-4:00 and Saturday 10:00-4:00 and for Paint the Town, Sunday, 8:00-3:00.
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