Artists will soon converge on New Smyrna Beach for the city’s 11th annual Plein Air Paint Out. The event is set for Tuesday- Saturday, Oct. 19-23, and will once again be hosted by the Marine Discovery Center and the Artists’ Workshop Inc.
The Paint Out links art and nature, with 20 nationally recognized artists traveling to New Smyrna Beach to create outdoor paintings from dawn to dusk during each day of the event. Artists paint at various locations throughout the city and surrounding areas, interpreting natural flora, fauna, landmarks and landscapes onto canvas.
“Our tagline this year is ‘Discover Nature Through Art,’” said Wendy Castino, marketing and fund development coordinator at the Marine Discovery Center and co-coordinator of the 2021 Paint Out. “If you look at any paintings created outdoors, they are capturing nature through art, and Plein Air is all about painting while outdoors,” she added.
“The Plein Air Paint Out offers the best way to capture our flora and fauna, coastal habitat, seascapes and history of this area, and then allow residents to take a piece of it home,” said Castino. “Residents see places and natural local landscapes all the time, and during the Plein Air Paint Out, they may see some of those places captured as art.”
Each of the 20 artists will donate a piece of art, from which all sales will benefit the two nonprofits. The artwork will be available at the kickoff “Collectors’ Reception” on Wednesday, Oct. 20, at the Grand Ol’ Barn in New Smyrna Beach, a former fruit-packing facility that has been renovated for special events. Admission is included for sponsors and patrons, but tickets are also available for $100 per person, which includes a $50 credit toward the purchase of art.
Paint Out activities begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 19, with two free art demonstrations at two sites that day, followed by an “Evening Paint at JB’s Fish Camp.”
Free art demonstrations will take place at various sites through Saturday, Oct. 23, with another “Evening Paint” set for 5 p.m. to dusk on Flagler Avenue on Thursday, Oct. 21.
The public is also invited to view a day of artists’ activity at Bottle Island (612 Bottle Island Road) on Friday, Oct. 22, with two art demonstrations scheduled.
Events will culminate Saturday, Oct. 23, at the Marine Discovery Center/ Artists’ Workshop, with a final art demo set for 10 a.m., followed by the Grand Finale and final art sales 5-8 p.m. Tickets for that event cost $50 each or $90 for two, and will feature the popular “blending of the brushes,” in which five artists complete a progressive piece of work that is auctioned that evening.
Throughout the week, the Paint Out Gallery is free and open daily to the public, and will once again offer a safe and socially distanced experience for visitors. The gallery is at the Artists’ Workshop at 540 Barracuda Blvd. Art created throughout the week will be taken to the gallery, where it may be viewed and purchased either in person or through the online gallery at NSBPaintOut.com.
For the complete schedule of events and to view the virtual gallery during Paint Out week, visit www.nsbpaintout.com.
Art patrons and sponsors seeking more information may call 386-428-4828 or contact wendy@marinediscoverycenter.org at the Marine Discovery Center, or contact Cheryl Faber, president of the Artists’ Workshop NSB, at
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