2013xHoodRiverRailYardx24x18 oc2.jpg
Hood River Rail Yard (detail) by Aimee Erickson, winner in 2013 of Plein Air in the Columbia River Gorge.
(columbiaartgallery.org)
Hood River and the Columbia Center for the Arts celebrate a decade of Plein Air in the Columbia River Gorge with an exhibition in September in the downtown Hood River art gallery.
"En plein air" is a French expression the means "in the open air". Each year, the Columbia Center invites artists and writers from around the country to come to the gorge to participate in this annual competition and exhibition, according to gallery manager Caroline Mead.
At the heart of the event is a multi-day paint-out and write-out where works of art and writing are created at various beautiful outdoor locations in and around the Columbia River Gorge, the nation's first designated national scenic area.
The exhibition kicks off with a preview party and opening reception on Friday, Sept. 5, from 4 to 8 p.m. Pat Haley and Friends will perform from 6-8 p.m. Works of art are available for viewing and sale during the reception and month long art show to follow.
On Sunday, Sept. 7, a variety of plein air writers will debut their freshly-written works at the Columbia Center for the Arts' plein air literary reading at 2 p.m.
Each year more artists enter the competition and more writers participate, Mead said, because the Columbia River Gorge is a perfect venue for outside art creation.
This year, acclaimed plein air painter Kathryn Stats will serve as juror. The top prizes will be announced on Hood River's monthly First Friday art celebration, Sept. 5, at 6 p.m.
People who want to watch the artists work in the field can look for daily locations Sept. 2, 3 and 4 as posted on the gallery website, columbiaartgallery.org.
This exhibit is sponsored by Green Home Construction and Northern Oregon Endodontics. For more information, all Columbia Center for the Arts at 541-387-8877.
The gallery's current exhibit, Art of the Wild, runs through Monday, Sept. 1, Labor Day. Look for information about the show at the highlighted link.
-- Terry Richard