PORT ANGELES — You may have stumbled across a picturesque scene on the North Olympic Peninsula and thought to yourself, “This should be framed.”
Last year, winning Paint the Peninsula artists arrived at the same exclamation as they looked upon Port Angeles boats, Hurricane Ridge, Lake Crescent Lodge, the old pickup truck outside Agnew Grocery and Second Beach.
So far, current plein air painters have chosen to depict Salt Creek, Tongue Point, Elwha Valley, Cape Flattery, Marymere Falls and Lake Crescent Lodge, among other landscapes.
This morning marks the final day for the 22 artists competing in the fifth annual plein air painting competition, hosted by the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center, to paint at their preferred Peninsula locale.
The artists come from as far away as Nova Scotia, Ohio, Utah, Missouri, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Others come from Port Angeles, Oregon, California, Colorado, Arizona and Victoria.
If you don’t want to track down the artists in the early morning hours, you can observe all the painters in action at City Pier and along the esplanade for “Paint Out!” this afternoon. As they paint the waterfront, you can ponder which painting-in-progress speaks to you and plan to make a bid.
The artists will set up their easels at 1 p.m. and finish by 4 p.m. for judging. Paintings will go up for sale immediately.
Proceeds from this sale and others during Paint the Peninsula benefit the nonprofit Port Angeles Fine Arts Center, which presents art exhibitions year-round.
On Saturday, between 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., about 150 paintings created this week will be on display and available for purchase at the fine arts center, 1203 E. Lauridsen Blvd.
Then, the long-awaited awards ceremony Saturday from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. recognizes the showing of talent exhibited during the course of the week with about $12,000 in cash prizes.
The ceremony, sponsored by Caldwell Banker Uptown Realty, costs $10 to attend and includes appetizers, wine and soft drinks.
The big-ticket award categories ($1,000 along with prizes) include Best in Show, Artists’ Choice, Best Landscape, Best Waterscape, Best Architecture, Best Motors, Wheels and Sails, Best Nocturne and Spirit of the Olympic Peninsula.
Again on Sunday, you can view and purchase paintings at the fine arts center — but this time, it will be your final opportunity to do so. The center will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Another painting sale will take place Sunday morning at 625 E. Front St.
Imagine It Framed will host a Petite Painting Sale of 6-inch-by-8-inch and 5-inch-by-7-inch canvases starting at 9 a.m. Sunday. Gallery visitors vote for their favorites in this one-day-only event.
For more information, visit www.paintthe peninsula.org.
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Reporter Sarah Sharp can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56650, or at ssharp@peninsula dailynews.com.
First-time Paint the Peninsula participant J. Brad Holt from Utah painted “Salt Creek I” on Monday. (Sandy Novak)
Watercolor artist Richard Sneary from Missouri depicted Lake Crescent Lodge in a painting, “Breakfast at the Lodge,” on Monday. This is Sneary’s second time participating in Paint the Peninsula. (Sandy Novak)
