(GOLDENDALE, Wash., July 10, 2018) — Beginning July 30, more than 40 artists will descend on the region – easels, paint and brushes in hand – searching for the perfect vista from which to capture the awesome beauty of the Columbia River Gorge. The artists, hailing from the Pacific Northwest and from around the country, will be taking part in the 14th annual Pacific Northwest Plein Air event hosted by Maryhill Museum of Art.
During the four-day plein air paint out, artists will select their own vantage points to paint the vast, wild beauty of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. And what a smorgasbord to choose from! Stunning views of Mt. Hood and the Columbia River, vineyards, snowy Cascade peaks, waterfalls and parched, high desert plateaus are just a few of the inspiring views artists will find. Artists will also be invited to paint on Maryhill’s grounds, giving museum visitors a closer look at plein air artists at work.
Event founder and artist Cathleen Rehfeld Meyers, who lives in Hood River, started the Pacific Northwest Plein Air event as a way to bring artists to the Columbia River Gorge. “It’s an amazingly beautiful place, with an incredibly diverse landscape to paint.”
A plein air figure painting workshop on the grounds of Maryhill Museum of Art, taught by artist Randall Sexton, will be offered on Friday, August 3 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Please see cost and details below.)
An opening and artist reception, featuring works created during the paint-out, will take place Saturday, August 4, 2018 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Maryhill Museum of Art. The public is invited to view and purchase “fresh” paintings and meet the artists.
Paintings will remain on view and available for purchase through August 25, 2018 in the Event Sales Gallery in the museum’s M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Education Center. As work is sold and removed, other work created during the paint-out will replace it. Proceeds support Maryhill Museum of Art.
A full list of participating artists is available at www.maryhillmuseum.org/
The 14th annual Pacific Northwest Plein Air Event in the Columbia River Gorge is made possible by the generosity of Dave Burbach Photography, Dog River Coffee, Framing Resource, Full Sail Brewing Co., Gamblin Artists Colors, The Griffin House on the Columbia River Gorge, Byron and Sue Henry, Stephen and Laura Muehleck, PleinAir Magazine, RayMar Art, and Scottsdale Artists’ School.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
July 30 – August 2 | all day
Pacific Northwest Plein Air Paint Out
Artists spend four days painting at various locations throughout the Columbia River Gorge, including on the grounds of Maryhill.
Friday, August 3 | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Workshop: Painting Plein Air Figures in the Garden at Maryhill
Enjoy a day of figure painting en plein air on the grounds of Maryhill Museum of Art. This full-day workshop is led by artist and teacher Randall Sexton, one of the premier contemporary California landscape painters working today. Known for his use of color and expressive brushwork in oil paintings of everyday scenes, Sexton has a reputation for being an educator as well as a fine artist. He taught drawing, painting, and composition at the San Francisco Academy of Art until 2005, and now leads private workshops around the country.
Cost: $170; limited to 17 participants. Student is expected to bring their own easel (plein air set-up) and supplies (confirmation and supply list will be emailed upon registration). To register, call Maryhill Museum of Art at (509) 773-3733, ext. 27, or email steve@maryhillmuseum.org.
Saturday, August 4 | 5 to 7 p.m.
Opening Reception
The public is invited to view the paintings artists created in plein air, meet the artists and enjoy refreshments and light hors d’oeuvres. Artwork will be available for purchase. Awards will be given in a number of categories, including “Best Sky,” “Best Mountain,” “Best Water,” “Historic Columbia River Highway Award,” “Maryhill Museum of Art Award” and a museum purchase award.
Housed in a glorious Beaux Arts mansion on 5,300 acres high above the Columbia River, Maryhill Museum of Art opened to the public May 13, 1940 and today remains one of the Pacific Northwest’s most enchanting cultural destinations. The museum was founded by Northwest entrepreneur and visionary Sam Hill, who purchased the property and began building the house with dreams of establishing a Quaker farming community. When that goal proved untenable, Hill was encouraged by friends Loie Fuller, Queen Marie of Romania, and Alma de Bretteville Spreckles to establish a museum. Maryhill Museum of Art boasts a world-class permanent collection, rotating exhibitions of the highest caliber, and dynamic educational programs that provide opportunities for further exploration by visitors of all ages. On view are more than 80 works by Auguste Rodin, European and American paintings, objects d’art from the palaces of the Queen of Romania, Orthodox icons, unique chess sets, and the renowned Théâtre de la Mode, featuring small-scale mannequins attired in designer fashions of post-World War II France. Baskets of the indigenous people of North America were a collecting interest of Hill; today the museum’s American Indian collection represents nearly every tradition and style in North America, with works of art from prehistoric through contemporary. Maryhill’s William and Catherine Dickson Sculpture Park features more than a dozen large-scale works by Northwest artists. The Maryhill Overlook is a site-specific sculpture by noted Portland architect Brad Cloepfil; nearby are Lewis and Clark interpretive panels. Four miles east of Maryhill is a life-sized replica of Stonehenge, Stonehenge Memorial, which Sam Hill built to memorialize local men who perished in World War I. Nearby, the Klickitat County War Memorial honors those who have died in the service of their country since World War I.The museum was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. In 2001 the museum was listed as an official site of the National Historic Lewis and Clark Trail and in 2002 was accredited by the American Association of Museums. In 2012 the museum opened the Mary and Bruce Stevenson Wing, a 25,500 square foot expansion that is the first in the museum’s history. The new wing boasts the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Education Center, a collections storage and research suite, a new cafe and terrace, and the Cannon Power Plaza with an installation of sculpture, and sweeping views of the Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood in the distance. VISITOR INFORMATION:
Maryhill Museum of Art is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., March 15 to November 15. Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, $9 for college students with I.D., $5 for youth age 7-18 and free for children 6 and under. Maryhill participates in Museums for All, with admission set at $2 per person with an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card and a valid form of photo ID. Rate is valid for up to four individuals per EBT card. Admission to the Stonehenge Memorial is free; it is open from 7:00 a.m. to dusk daily.Sandwiches, salads, espresso drinks, cold beverages, and freshly baked desserts and pastries, as well as a selection of local wines are available at the museum’s cafe, Loie’s, from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily; the Museum Store features art and history books, jewelry, Native American crafts and other mementos.
Maryhill is located off Highway 97, 12 miles south of Goldendale, Washington. Drive times to the museum are 2 hours from Portland/Vancouver, 3.5 hours from Bend, 4 hours from Seattle, and 1.5 hours from Yakima. For further information, visit maryhillmuseum.org.