EASTON — A crowd of art patrons wended their way down the Wye Heights spectacular wooded driveway to find artists working on their paintings Saturday.
The Plein Air Easton Meet The Artists Party welcomed an array of artists working on large and small canvases, painting with brushes, sponges and palette knives.
From shaded gardens with sculptures to vast grassy expanses overlooking the Wye River, there was no shortage of spectacular views at Wye Heights.
The event was designed to amplify the interaction between art buyers and artists in their process. It coincided with the beginning of Plein Air Easton, a week-long painting competition hosted annually in and around town. Last year, over $500,000 of art was sold at the event.
Artist Elise Phillips is from Elverson, Pennsylvania. She said she loves the camaraderie with the artists and the patrons.
“We get treated so well, and we are sitting here painting doing something we love. People are here encouraging us. You can’t beat it,” Phillips said.
She said the party was kind of like a wedding with a white tent, live jazz and fabulous flowers. As a bonus they to get come to Wye Heights, which otherwise she would never have seen.
“It is so special because where else are you going to see artists from around the country gathered together and then have all of the work displayed? It is fun to look at all the work and to see everybody. We are all friends,” she said.
All of the artists wore name tags, and some wore blue ribbons, which designated them as first-timers to Plein Air Easton. Local artist Maggii Sarfaty has been juried in for her first time this year.
“I feel like a rookie driver with a bumper sticker on the back of my car,” She said. “An artist may be waiting for me to bump into their painting or fall over. I am very proud to be here. This is a really big feather in my cap. I barely slept at all last night.”
Brienne Brown is another first-timer and came from Julian, Pennsylvania.
“I love Plein Air Easton because everyone has been so welcoming. It is very positive and very well organized,” Brown said.
John Iseman of Hebron has been in six or seven Plein Air Eastons. He says the best part is the food.
He and his completed painting were whisked away on a white golf cart. There were lots of these carts to shuttle people from one end of the estate to another.
Patrons chatted and looked at the art and circled back to talk with the artists of their favorite paintings.
“It really brings you into the art world. I am all for supporting the arts here,” event attendee Roberta Lilly said. “This is what makes Easton a really vibrant community.”
Plein Air Easton will run through July 21. To see a full schedule of Plein Air Easton events, visit pleinaireaston.com.
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