Show Preview | Paint the Peninsula - Southwest Art Magazine

Port Angeles, WA
Various locations, August 21-27

Richard Sneary, Window Panes, Lake Crescent Lodge, watercolor.

This story was featured in the August 2017 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art August 2017 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

The mountain ranges, evergreen forests, and ocean beaches of Washington’s coastline provide inspiration for artists working in the fifth annual Paint the Peninsula plein-air event outside of Seattle. Artists arrive on Sunday, August 20, to begin painting between Port Townsend and Port Angeles and into Olympic National Park. “Many other competitions like this are in warmer climates,” says event chairperson Anne Dalton. “We are the only plein-air competition of this caliber in the state of Washington.”

Dalton says the idea to hold a plein-air festival on the northwest coast came to her while she was hiking in the Southwest and came across painters participating in a local competition. “I was enthralled with the quality of work and the variety of subjects,” Dalton says. With support from the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center, the competition took off.

: William Rogers, Agnew Grocery at Night, oil.

: Jason Situ, Port Angeles Boat, oil.

: Rachel Pettit, First Star I See, oil.

This year, 23 juried painters working in oil, watercolor, acrylic, and pastel come to the area to paint. Of these artists, nine are returning to the competition while the rest are new. Dalton says that while many of the artists focus on landscapes, others are drawn to paint historic buildings and local docks. “We have had some more contemporary styles as well as impressionism and hyperrealism and
everything in between,” she says. Artists participating this year include Brad Holt, Paula Ensign, Susiehyer, D.K. Palecek, William Rogers, and Robin Weiss.

For most days during the week, artists paint in locations of their choosing. But on Tuesday, August 22, they paint solely in Olympic National Park, with its forests and snow-capped peaks. These paintings are featured in an artists’ reception at the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center on Wednesday night from 6 to 7:30 p.m. On Friday, August 25, artists gather at the City Pier and Esplanade for a Paint Out & Sale from 1 to 4 p.m.

On Saturday, August 26, awards are given during a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday is the last day to purchase paintings created during the event, along with smaller works offered during a separate “petite painting sale” the same day. —Mackenzie McCreary

contact information
360.457.3532
www.paintthepeninsula.org