Mendocino Art Center Hosts Plein Air Festival
The Mendocino Art Center (MAC) hosts the Mendocino Open Paint Out (MOPO), a plein air festival, September 24-26, welcoming more than fifty oil, pastel, water media, acrylic, and mixed media artists from throughout California. All events are free and open to the public, including watching the artists paint.
The festival includes daily plein air painting, with wet paint sales of new artwork exhibited each day in the Art Center’s galleries. Also on exhibit will be an event opening Artists Showcase Exhibition with each participating artist hanging a previously created painting, and an exhibition highlighting paintings by featured artists Ellen Howard and Dale Laitinen, along with Mendocino Coast artist David Jenks, who will assist the featured artists in jurying this year’s artwork.
The public will have the opportunity to watch the featured artists paint on location (locations subject to change) and attend their demonstrations at the MAC. Laitinen will paint overlooking Portuguese Beach, Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., and host his demonstration, “Shape-Shifting, Abstracting Coast Subjects,” Saturday, 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Howard will paint near the Ford House Museum, Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., and host her demonstration, “Capturing the Drama of the Sunset,” Friday, 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Donations are requested at
demonstrations.
On Sunday, there will be a Quick Draw Competition, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., with the painting location to be announced at 9:30 a.m. (at the Art Center, on the community announcement listserv, the MAC website, and on Facebook, facebook.com/mendocinoartcenter) in order to remain a surprise to the participants. The public is invited to watch the competition and then vote for their favorite Quick Draw piece at the Quick Draw Sale, held from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., at the MAC. The day’s festivities will continue with a special MOPO Awards Presentation, at 2:30 p.m.
At the conclusion of the event, select paintings will be curated for a special Mendocino Open Paint Out Exhibition, open Wednesdays through Sundays, September 29 through October 31, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
During the event, the galleries will be open Friday, 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; and Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Mendocino Art Center is located at 45200 Little Lake Street (at Kasten Street) in Mendocino. More event information is available at MendocinoArtCenter.org/mopo.
For the safety of all Mendocino Art Center visitors, COVID-19 safety protocols are observed. All Mendocino Open Paint Out participants, staff, and volunteers are fully vaccinated and will be wearing masks at all times. Visitors must also wear masks on the Mendocino Art Center campus, both inside and outside, and observe social distancing guidelines.
Support for the Mendocino Open Paint Out has been provided by Big River Coffee, Café Beaujolais, Good Life Café and Bakery, Harvest Market, North Coast Brewing Company, Racine’s/Spunky Skunk, Roundman’s Smoke House, Safeway, Stanford Inn by the Sea, and Tangents.