Public invited to watch artists paint Mt. Garfield

A group of Grand Valley artists will paint Mount Garfield from the same vantage point Saturday in what organizers call the “Mount Garfield Paint Out.”

Between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. artists will paint Mount Garfield from the Whitewater Hill Vineyards and Winery, 220 32 Road, on East Orchard Mesa.

The public is invited to drop by, meet the artists and observe.

It’s called “en plein air,” a French term for open-air artistic painting.

“It means to go outside and to paint what you see,” said Karen Folks, who runs The Gallery Bed & Breakfast in Grand Junction.

Some artists will finish their paintings “amazingly quickly,” said Folks. Others will add finishing touches later, at home.

This is the second year for the paint-out, sponsored by The Art Project, a group of five professional artists who have studio space together and who exhibit together.

Works created Saturday by oil, pastel, watercolor, acrylic and collage artists will be unveiled Sept. 21 at the Coffee Studio, 2913 F Road, from 1 to 4 p.m. It will be on display there for a month, and much of the work will be for sale, Folks said.

Last year, the group painted Mount Garfield from the home of artist Mary Mansfield, who has studio space at The Gallery Bed & Breakfast.

This year, because the painting is being held at a business, the public is welcome to come watch, Folks said.

“We decided we wanted to paint Mount Garfield every year,” in a paint-out, she said.

“The Whitewater Hill Winery will be a good place to paint from because it’s got a great view of the Bookcliffs with Mount Garfield off to the right and farmland and vineyards in front of them,” Folks said. “It doesn’t matter what they paint as long as Mount Garfield is in it.”

Any two-dimensional medium is welcome, she said. There is a $25 fee for artists. The fee pays for exhibit space and advertising. Artists who want to participate can call Folks at 243-2501.

It’s free for observers.

People who want to watch may drop by Saturday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. The winery is 2 miles south of U.S. Highway 50 on 32 Road and 3 miles from I-70B on 32 Road.

Reach Marija B. Vader at mvader@gjfreepress.com.