Saturday marked the beginning of a weeklong art series.
From today until Saturday, residents can watch artists paint the springs and rivers around High Springs, Florida, during the Santa Fe Springs Plein Air Paintout, said Tina Corbett, the event organizer and a member of the Florida Humanities Council.
Paintings will be on display at Rum 138 gallery in May, Lanza Gallery and Art Supplies in June and the High Springs Historical Society Museum from July 16 to Aug. 27, she said.
Corbett said Blue Springs Park in High Springs hosted painters for seven hours Saturday, and 30 to 100 people are expected to attend each of the proceeding events.
About 15 artists will be painting at various locations throughout the week, she said. Ginnie Springs Outdoors will host the final public viewing day Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
A full list of dates, locations and times is available on the event’s Facebook page. Ticket prices vary, and visitors must also pay for park entry when applicable.
Annie Pais, the executive director for Florida’s Eden, said the sustainability-focused nonprofit organization brought the concept to Alachua County in 2002.
“Plein air is a type of landscape painting that is painted actually out in the fresh air,” she said.
Pais said the first event was held at a single location before it grew over the years.
“Thirty painters came to paint for six days at the first Kanapaha Paintout held at Kanapaha Botanical Gardens,” she said. “It was amazing.”
Pais said the week is meant to showcase a tradition of plein air painting in North Florida.
The crowd, she said, is usually comprised of “cultured locals and families,” especially those with children who are interested in art.
Corbett said Alachua County is considered the southeastern hub for plein air events.
“The warm weather and forest-like feel North Florida offers makes the paintings so uncommon,” she said.
