“Paint the Town” is very popular with plein air artists from all over the mid-Atlantic region. In addition to having the opportunity to paint wonderful scenes, past participating artists often commented that they found Kent County residents to be extremely welcoming, especially those that opened their homes to out-of-town artists. Many residents offered suggestions for scenes best to paint whether it was the early spring fresh green acreage of local farms, the waterscapes and marinas of the small town of Rock Hall, the 18th century homes of Chestertown or the wonderful private garden in town that is open to the public.
“Paint the Town” is a 4-day event. From Thursday through early Saturday afternoon artists paint the scenes throughout the county that interest them. On Saturday afternoon everyone frames their work and hangs them in the newly redesigned RiverArts’ gallery in preparation for the “Wet Paint Show & Sale”. Once the show is up, the participating artists vote for “Best in Show” and “Best Body of Work”. The ribbons are placed just before the show opens to the public.
At 5:30 p.m. artists and their guests, RiverArts members, and visitors are invited to the “Wet Paint Show & Sale” reception. At 6:00 p.m., there is a brief awards ceremony followed by a reception where everyone has the opportunity to mingle and shop.
Artists who are unable to participate in all 4 days of “Paint the Town” may still sign up to participate in our one day “Quick Draw” competition on Sunday, April 23rd. Artists arrive between 8:00-9:00 a.m. After checking in, artists have 2 hours to paint scenes in downtown Chestertown. At 11:00 a.m. artists set up their paintings on easels in Fountain Park for viewing and judging by an outside judge. While the judge is making his selections, the public is invited to vote for the “People’s Choice Award”.
At noon, the “Quick Draw” Awards are presented for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places and the “People’s Choice”. These paintings are then added to the gallery exhibit which is open until 3:00 p.m. All awards during Paint the Town are cash prizes.
This year the exhibit is to be extended through April 30th to give artists additional time to display and sell their work. Participation in the extended exhibit is not mandatory but encouraged.
Registration will close once the maximum number of artists allowed have responded which should be soon.
community.chestertownriverarts.org/exhibit/paint-the-town-april-2023