The Old & Historic District was transformed last week into a scene from 19th-century France — though with fishing shanties and beaches instead of poppy fields — as painters stood over their easels in the open air and serenely dabbed paint onto their canvases.
/ GREY COLLINS
Twenty plein air painters — practicing the art of outdoor painting popularized by 1800s French impressionists — arrived May 20 from around New England for Marblehead’s annual Paint Out. The artists spent the next few days “plein air painting” around town in the warm weather, capturing scenes of Marblehead’s beaches, harbor, colonial-era streets and even the fishing shanties near Fort Beach.
The event, organized by Gene Arnould, has become a longstanding tradition in Marblehead. According to Arnould, the Paint Out first began back in 2006 when a French artist, Yves Parent, sailed into Marblehead with a group called the Plein Air Painters New England, to paint outdoor scenes and display their work at the Arnould Gallery. Since then, the same group of painters from around New England has made the annual pilgrimage to the Arnould Gallery every May.
“They’re a great group of people and they love painting together. They’ve known each other for decades, and it’s amazing to see what they produce,” said Arnould.
On Friday afternoon, the artists brought their work to the Arnould Gallery, 111 Washington St. The pieces will be on display through July 4.
“I really like seeing whatever everybody produces at the opening,” said Bob Noreika, an artist from Connecticut who has been coming to the Paint Out for 12 years. “It was enlightening.”
