An Open-Air Art Olympics

Inaugural Paint Grand Traverse bringing some of the most talented en plein air artists

By Kristi Kates | June 2, 2018

A canvas, a paintbrush, a set of paints, and the open air. Easel and cool beverage optional.

That’s pretty much all you need to be a plein air, or outdoor painting, artist — well, that and a touch of talent, of course.

Crooked Tree Arts Center (CTAC) is drawing many with far more than a “touch” of talent for its first-ever Paint Grand Traverse (Aug. 13–18), an immersive painting extravaganza that devotes an entire week to artists hungry to capture the scenic vistas and landscapes of northern Michigan.

“We’ve done other plein air events, but they’ve always been short ones, usually one day and just with local artists,” said CTAC’s Megan Kelto. “This is especially new to us because it’s a full week long, and we’ve invited national artists to participate.” Artists were selected for the event using a hybrid approach; the national artists were handpicked, and an application/jury process was offered to local CTAC member artists.

The idea for Paint Grand Traverse, Kelto added, has been kicking around since 2014, when Petoskey’s Crooked Tree Arts Center expanded into Traverse City. It was inspired by similar major plein air events held in locations like Door County, Wisconsin; Sedona, Arizona; Laguna Beach, California; and Boulder/Telluride, Colorado.

“These events are huge cultural attractions that bring in lots of interest and tourism dollars,” Kelto said. CTAC Executive Director Liz Ahrens said that the group initially thought of holding the event in Petoskey, but that Traverse City offered some extra much-needed infrastructure.

“I love where I live in Harbor Springs,” said Ahrens, “but we don’t have the rolling orchards up here, we don’t have as many small towns, plus the airport in Traverse City makes it so easy for all the artists coming in from out of town. Also, within an hour around Traverse City, you can access so many different types of locations for the artists: landscapes, waterscapes, vineyards, marinas, and even a little of an urban environment in downtown TC, so logistically, it just made more sense to hold the event there.”

The artists will be toured around the local Grand Traverse area throughout the week, setting up in various spots to paint.

“They’ll spend two days in Leelanau, one day on the Old Mission Peninsula, one day in the Elk Rapids area, one day in downtown Traverse City, and then the final day will be artist’s choice,” Kelto said. “As part of that, we’re doing a sunset painting session at Sleeping Bear Dunes, and the downtown Traverse City portion will also coincide with Friday Night Live, so that will be fun.”

Wednesday will also include a Quick Draw competition, showcasing 44 of the Paint Grand Traverse artists, plus any other artists who would like to sign up. Those competing (for cash prizes) will be required to complete a work in just two hours, at Fountain Point Resort.

“I’m really, really looking forward to the Quick Draw,” Ahrens said. “In addition to our main artists, we already have another 30 people signed up to participate in it! I envision it kind of like the art Olympics — you have all of these people so well-trained in their craft, just two hours to complete their masterpiece, and all of these spectators standing around watching the artworks form and saying ‘I want to buy this as soon as it’s completed!’ That’s a pretty great thing.”

After the main event’s paintings are completed, each of the 44 artists will submit 3 to 5 pieces from their week’s work for jury selection. Those works will then be available for the public to view and buy on the evening of Aug.18, via the purchase of a gala party ticket, which will include the artist reception event and the opportunity to partake in food, wine, and entertainment.

“For an additional ticket price, you can get a special ticket that includes a preview hour one hour prior to the actual party, for people who’ve seen someone painting a work that they absolutely have to have,” Kelto said. “We’ll be encouraging viewers to go and watch these artists at work during the entire week. We’ll be publishing a list of the artists and the locations they’ll be at. Many of the locations are at, or near, wineries and farms, so you can go watch the artists work and also enjoy beverages, wine, and snacks.”

Oils, watercolors, acrylics, and pastels are what you’ll typically see being applied to the Paint Grand Traverse canvases. “There’s no size limit on the works either, but typically, the artists use 16x24 canvases,” said Kelto.

Kevin Barton, an acclaimed artist from Petoskey who will be participating in the event (his work pictured at top), said he definitely enjoys the challenge of the outdoor environments.

“Plein air painting in general is so great, because it forces you to think quick and make decisions about your paintings on the spot,” he said. “It tends to provide very spontaneous, creative results. I’m also excited to just see all of this art created around Traverse City all collected in one place the night of the gala.”

For the reception and purchase event, the artists set their own prices. Proceeds (60 percent) go directly to the artist and (40 percent) to Crooked Tree.

“That’s pretty standard,” Kelto said. The price range for the paintings will most likely fall between $400–$2000. A cash prize of $2500 for overall excellence will also be awarded on the big gala night by guest juror Ned Mueller, from Renton, Washington, whom Kelto called “a real luminary in the plein air painting world.”

“We’ll see lots of landscapes from this event, for sure,” said Kelto, “but it’s also the artists’ prerogative to zoom in on details, for instance a cool broken-down tractor, or a single flower. And with the variety of locations we’ve chosen there will be a lot for them to work with. So while there will of course be beautiful paintings of rolling hills, that certainly won’t be all you’ll see.”

For more information on locations to watch and events to attend, visit paintgrandtraverse.com.