Hundreds compete in Quick Draw

EASTON — Downtown was filled with art and people Saturday for the Plein Air Easton’s quickest event.

The annual Quick Draw, in which around 200 artists were given two hours to create a painting of a scene around downtown Easton, has become a fan-favorite event of Plein Air since it was first held 20 years ago. Tourists flocked with their dogs to get a look at the creative process.

Neil Hughes, an artists from Medford, New Jersey, said he prefers having more time to work on his paintings but that “it’s a great event, hard not to have fun.”

Kaitlyn Hay an artist form Washington, D.C., said the event gave her the opportunity to appreciate work by many of the event’s talented participants. “The quick draw is so fun. You just get into the zone. I am certainly nowhere near the level of some of these fellow painters, but it is just fun to participate.”

One of the youngest painters at the event was 7-year-old Isabel Tilley. “I have been painting basically all my life,” she said. “I painted a cream-colored fence. I am inspired by art.”

Not only were there a lot of easels and paints moving around downtown, but there were art lovers waiting to find pieces that spoke to them.

“I have come for probably 15 years, and for 10 of those years, I have bought something,” said Stephanie Saunders. “I usually come to the Quick Draw and see what is around.”

Nancy Tankersley, the judge of the Quick Draw event, cruised through the work with a clipboard, looking for the best.

There were many volunteers moving art, handing out water and keeping time.

Nancy Espenhorst, a volunteer, said, “I have numerous jobs. I drive a golf cart. I sell art. I am at the information table, and I blow the horn. I like to stay active, and you get to see lots of people.”

The event is organized by the Avalon Foundation.

Bill Witowski, the Avalon Foundation’s chair, said art sales from the Quick Draw and other Plein Air events support the organization’s efforts in the community yearound.

“Just look how many people have come out. It is just a magic time, and look at all the art sales,” Witowski said. “That really helps the foundation, which feeds back into the community.”

The quick draw is an award-driven paint off. Up to $1,500 is in the offing.

“There are only nine awards so sorry to those of you who didn’t make the final list. I really like a strong sense of place,” Tankersley said.

The grand prize for the quick draw with an invitation to compete in Plein Air Easton 2025 was given to David Orrin Smith from Seattle.

“That format of paint something from life in two hours at the scale that I work in, which is 30x42 and watercolor, that is what I do all year long all the time,” Smith said. He was grateful to all the volunteers who made the event happen.