From July 30th-August 1st, painters and onlookers will be gathering in Port Wing, Wisconsin for the annual Port Wing Plein Air Painting Festival. For avid painters, the festival is an opportunity to paint outdoors. For non-painters, it's a chance to enjoy the creation through the artform - and maybe paint a little too.
"I've been running [the festival] since 2013," says John Berton, Port Wing Plein Air Painting Festival Director. Participating artists can paint over the course of the festival, taking their time to finetune their work. Another option is the "quick paint", a 90-minute painting sprint. "I think with a professional artist, this is just a standard way of doing them... there are people that produce amazing things in 90 minutes."
For non-painters, the festival is a good opportunity to watch artists create, but there's also a chance to pick up the brushes. Throughout town, festivalgoers will find "Berton Boxes" containing paint, a canvas, and a few other items to help anyone create a work of their own. If the box has a blank canvas inside, patrons are asked to take that as encouragement to start painting.
The festival concludes with an exhibition of work from 3-7pm on Saturday and 10am-1pm on Sunday. More information about the festival and registration can be found on the Port Wing Plein Air Painting Festival website.
You can hear Community Connection every Tuesday and Thursday at 8am on Northland Morning.
