Easels, color palettes and artists from throughout the United States converge in the Estes Park area during the month of August for the annual Estes Park Plein Air, a painting event that includes live art auctions, gallery shows and more.

The artists select and paint subject matter "plein air" (on location) from various vantage points including the greater Estes Valley, National Park & Forest lands, St. Vrain and Big Thompson River canyons and south on the Peak to Peak Scenic Highway. Many of the participating artists are members of Oil Painters of America (O.P.A.), International Plein Air Painters (I.P.A.P.) Pastel Society of America (P.S.A.) and numerous other regional painting societies.

One special feature of the event is the “Quick Draw” (a quick study of landscape or portraiture on location), on Saturday, August 23, 2008 starting at 9:30 a.m. in Estes Park’s Riverside Plaza. Artists have a 90-minute painting period in which to complete a work of art from three models or scenic area. With the meeting of two rivers, red rock pools, trees and bronze sculptures, there is no shortage of subject matter for artists to paint. An auction of ‘wet paint” follows the stop whistle.

An exhibition and sale of work completed during the Plein Air event will occur at four area galleries: the Blue Horse Gallery, the Fine Art Gallery of the Cultural Arts Council of Estes Park, Earthwood Collections and the Red Stallion Gallery. Teresa Binstock, official photographer for the event, supplied photos that accompany this information.