On May 21, painters from all over New England kicked off Paint Out, an annual three-day tradition hosted by the Arnould Gallery, 111 Washington St. Despite the unseasonably cold weather and mild drizzle, artists could be spotted all over town painting en plein air – or, working based on what they observe in nature and their surroundings.
They continued through Thursday and Friday, finally delivering their pieces to the Arnould Gallery on Washington Street for a reception on Friday evening.
Paint Out was originally hosted by Plein Air Painters of New England and put on in locations all over New England, before being permanently settled by the group’s then-leader, Yves Parent. Gene Arnould later took over the role of host by organizing dinners and receptions for the artists to reconnect with one another during their short stay and, of course, displaying their paintings on the second floor of the Arnould Gallery.
“They enjoy the camaraderie of artists,” Arnould said, explaining the bond that drives these artists to return to Marblehead year after year. “It gives them a chance to see all of their friends from New England.”
The group as it exists now is relatively closed at a little over 20 artists, hailing from as far as Maine, Connecticut and New Jersey, and as close as right here in Marblehead. Many of these artists earn their living from painting, and spend their year travelling to plein air events such as this one all over the country.
While plein air painters traditionally work outdoors, the poor weather drove many of this year’s artists to seek refuge and inspiration in sheltered locations such as the King Hooper Mansion, opened for them by the Marblehead Arts Association. In past years, artists have been spotted painting in scenic spots such as Fort Sewall, Crocker Park, Redds Pond, Old Burial Hill and Grace Oliver’s beach.
Artists Bill Cloutman and Cate Hunter Kashem chose to ignore the cold and set up their easels at Chandler Hovey park. The lifelong friends decided to paint the same scene from different angles: while Hunter Kashem painted the harbor, Cloutman painted Hunter Kashem from about 100 feet back.
Cloutman, a native Marbleheader who has been painting for over 70 years, explained what draws him to en plein air.
“If you paint a portrait, someone can say ‘Oh, the nose doesn’t look like that’ . . . but if you paint a tree, no one’s going to say that a tree doesn’t look like that. It’s a tree.”
Hunter Kashem explained plein air painters typically only spend around two to three hours on a painting because the natural lighting changes too much throughout the day. For her, the steady light was the silver lining to the gray and overcast day.
According to Arnould, several paintings sold and most of the artists managed to finish Paint Out indoors. Their work will remain on sale throughout the summer.
