By Geena Monahan—For the North Star Reporter
Easels popped up throughout North Attleborough on Saturday, as artists painted historic landmarks, parks and landscapes during the Cultural Council’s fourth annual plein air painting competition.
Held as part of the town’s celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, the event, also known as Paint North Attleborough Beautiful, challenged artists to create original works on location using any medium to showcase the beauty and history of the community. Plein air is French for “open air” or “outdoors” and refers to painting outdoors.
“This is the fourth year we’re doing this,” said Ralph DiMarco, chair of the North Attleborough Cultural Council. “We started this to bring attention to the arts and to feature the town. The first year we had fewer than 10 artists, and it’s expanded a little bit every year. We’re trying to grow it and make it a recurring event.”
Artists checked in the morning of Saturday, July 11, before dispersing across town with canvases and paint supplies in search of inspiration. While participants were free to choose their own locations, every painting had to be created within North Attleborough’s boundaries and completed outdoors that day.
“You can’t work from photographs,” DiMarco said. “It’s plein air, so it has to be something you painted live that day.”
Because this year’s competition coincides with the nation’s semiquincentennial celebration, organizers encouraged artists to focus on historically significant locations throughout town.
The finished works were due back by 4:30 p.m. on Saturday before being judged for first-, second- and third-place awards during the evening’s Food Truck Festival.
A People’s Choice Award will be decided during the town’s 250th Liberty & Local Block Party on Wednesday, July 15, when residents can view the artwork and cast ballots for their favorite piece.
Painting the town
Among the returning artists was Amanda Sylvester, an art teacher at North Attleborough Middle School who has participated in all four competitions.
Working from Veterans Park during the North Attleborough Farmers Market, Sylvester painted the park’s gazebo, choosing the location because it reflected the theme of the anniversary celebration.
“I have the gazebo that’s beautifully decorated, the pennants on the light posts, the World War II Memorial Pool, and if I have time, I can possibly include some of the Revolutionary War re-enactors,” said Sylvester. “We’ll see. My canvas is only so big.”
This year’s painting also pushed Sylvester outside her comfort zone.
“I usually paint quicker and work smaller,” she said. “Today I’m trying to do something a little bigger. This will probably take me about four and a half hours total.”
Painting outdoors also comes with unique challenges, from the changing sunlight to shifting weather conditions. Knowing when to stop, she said, can be one of the hardest parts of the creative process.
“If I spend too long on it, I’ll honestly ruin the painting and overwork it,” Sylvester said with a laugh. “I have to step back and say, ‘That looks good. I’ll stop now.'”
First-time participant Bill Collins found inspiration along Ellis Road, where he set up overlooking one of the area’s horse farms.
“I drive by here almost every day, and I think it’s the most picturesque part of North Attleborough,” Collins said. “Ellis Road at sunset and in the fall is really beautiful.”
Collins, who began painting after retiring several years ago, described himself as a student of the craft.
“I’m always learning,” he said. “I’ve only been doing this three or four years, so there’s a lot to learn.”
He laughed when asked about how he picked the shady spot to set up his easel.
“That was by accident,” Collins said. “I picked the view first and hoped the sun would be in the right place, and everything just worked out perfectly.”
Unlike studio painting, plein air artists must complete their work within a limited window of time, as light and shadows constantly change.
“If I were like Monet and some of those other artists, I could keep coming back to the same canvas day after day,” Collins said. “But I’ve got to be finished by 4:30, so there are only so many hours in the day for this competition.”
For DiMarco, the event is another way to connect residents with North Attleborough’s history and encourage people to see familiar places through a different lens.
“Some artists are from the community, and some come from other areas,” he said. “We advertise online, send out press releases and work with galleries to get the word out. We want people to experience North Attleborough through art.”